Political News Archive

  • Clegg keeps smiling through the pain
    Monday 5 March 2012

    WHAT was the mood music of the Scottish Liberal Democrat conference?

  • 'Yes' campaign begins in May
    Monday 5 March 2012

    THE Scottish independence campaign will be launched in May – more than two years before the "yes" campaign's preferred voting date, First Minister Alex Salmond said yesterday.

  • Obama warns of 'loose talk' on Iran strike
    Monday 5 March 2012

    PRESIDENT Barack Obama has warned against "loose talk" of a war with Iran ahead of a meeting at which he will urge Israel's prime minister not to order a strike on the Islamic Republic's nuclear facilities.

  • Leader talks of joining forces with the SNP for more powers
    Sunday 4 March 2012

    SCOTTISH LibDem leader Willie Rennie, right, is to offer to work with the SNP on securing greater powers for Holyrood if there is a No vote in the independence referendum.

  • Call for delay to 'shambolic' exam shake-up
    Sunday 4 March 2012

    LABOUR yesterday called on the SNP government to delay a shake-up of school exams amid fears it is turning into a "shambles".

  • Independent carer representative to sit on shadow cabinet
    Sunday 4 March 2012

    A NON-politician is to sit in future meetings of Labour's shadow cabinet to promote the interests of carers, the party announced yesterday.

  • 'Let Scotland vote in 500 days ... not 1000'
    Sunday 4 March 2012

    THE SCOTTISH Secretary yesterday called on Alex Salmond to halve his timetable for the independence referendum, and allow people to vote in 500 days, not 1000.

  • Everyone loves Devo Plus ... or Max ... or even Minus
    Sunday 4 March 2012

    The status quo isn't what it used to be.

  • Target Salmond
    Sunday 4 March 2012

    JOHANN Lamont has laid out her blueprint for rebuilding Scottish Labour after its disastrous defeat last May, promising a new commission on devolution and identifying Alex Salmond as the party's number one target.

  • Conference round-up
    Sunday 4 March 2012

    l THE LibDem chief whip has endorsed a plan to review the impact of a coalition with the Conservatives.

  • Scots budget cuts until 2017
    Sunday 4 March 2012

    THE Scottish Government has said its budget faces continued cuts in real terms until 2017 because of UK spending plans.

  • Labour rebels form new party
    Sunday 4 March 2012

    DISAFFECTED former Labour councillors in Glasgow have successfully created a new political party to fight May's local elections.

  • Lamont plans commission on devolution
    Saturday 3 March 2012

    SCOTTISH voters should face a second referendum on whether or not Holyrood needs more powers if they reject independence in the promised first poll, Johann Lamont, the Scottish Labour leader, suggested yesterday as she announced her party is to embark on a year-long review of devolution.

  • PM: Being tough proves we care
    Saturday 3 March 2012

    DAVID Cameron will today insist that the Coalition's controversial austerity measures are a sign that the UK Government really cares and is truly compassionate.

  • PM's 'Rasputin' leaves No 10
    Saturday 3 March 2012

    STEVE Hilton, the Prime Minister's blue skies thinker, credited with championing, among other things, the Big Society, green policies and the controversial NHS reforms, is leaving No 10 to take an unpaid academic post in California, Downing Street announced last night.

  • Kennedy seizes leading role in battle for union
    Saturday 3 March 2012

    CHARLES Kennedy has broken cover on the constitutional battle facing Scotland and made clear his intention of playing a leading role in the campaign to save the United Kingdom.

  • Swinney tax plan for large retailers attacked by CBI
    Saturday 3 March 2012

    FINANCE Secretary John Swinney's plans for an additional tax on large retailers selling alcohol and tobacco contradict the Government's aim of ensuring Scotland is the most attractive place for doing business in Europe, CBI Scotland has claimed.

  • Alexander hails Coalition record
    Saturday 3 March 2012

    DANNY Alexander gave his party faithful every reason to believe he had won his battle with the Tories over keeping the 50p top tax rate, but he also appeared to warn them that progress on raising the threshhold at which low earners start paying tax may be slower than they would hope.

  • Miliband attacks links between First Minister Salmond and Murdoch press
    Saturday 3 March 2012

    LABOUR leader Ed Miliband has attacked Alex Salmond's burgeoning relationship with News Corporation chairman Rupert Murdoch.

  • Cameron hails alliance as EU aims for growth
    Saturday 3 March 2012

    Prime Minister David Cameron yesterday hailed a UK-led "unprecedented alliance" of EU nations as the driving force behind recovery in the wake of the economic crisis.

  • Holyrood will 'bank' Bill's extra powers
    Friday 2 March 2012

    HOLYROOD will back the Scotland Bill, senior Coalition sources have indicated, even though the Scottish parliamentary committee, which examined the Westminster legislation, made clear the proposed extra powers for Edinburgh were not strong enough.

  • Salmond 'frustrated' by Megrahi appeal claims
    Friday 2 March 2012

    ALEX Salmond has admitted to being "frustrated" by claims in the biography of the man convicted of the Lockerbie bombing that the Scottish Government wanted to stop publication of the reasons for him dropping his appeal.

  • MSPs mull over wild animal circus ban
    Friday 2 March 2012

    THE Scottish Government is considering whether to follow Westminster's lead and ban wild animals in travelling circuses.

  • Labour MP denies he had secret affair
    Friday 2 March 2012

    ERIC Joyce, the embattled MP for Falkirk, has denied claims he had a secret affair with a 17-year-old Labour volunteer as disaffection for him within the party deepened still further.

  • Rennie to rally dispirited LibDem troops
    Friday 2 March 2012

    AS BEFITS a man who runs races carrying a sack of coal, Willie Rennie relishes a challenge.

  • Miliband to take swipe at SNP in defence of Union
    Friday 2 March 2012

    LABOUR leader Ed Miliband will today warn that throwing up new borders will not make Scotland a fairer country and attack "old-fashioned" Tory politics and "SNP separatism" as recipes for failure.

  • Alexander to warn Labour radical change is needed
    Friday 2 March 2012

    A SENIOR Labour figure will say today the party must change if it is to once again be successful in Scotland.

  • Anger at proposed political boundary changes
    Friday 2 March 2012

    Politicians of all parties have lined up to criticise plans for a shake-up which will see Scotland lose seven MPs.

  • Business chiefs back calls to hold early Scots referendum
    Friday 2 March 2012

    ENGINEERING leaders have added to growing calls from business for a speedy referendum on independence, amid warnings that uncertainty could undermine company development.

  • Economist says austerity policy is serious mistake
    Thursday 1 March 2012

    THE Coalition Government has been accused by one of Scotland's leading economists of making a serious policy mistake that could blight the employment prospects of a generation of young people.