What’s been the highlight of your career?
I’ll never forget the week I spent with the US Forces in Afghanistan. Or the hour I spent talking to Tom Baker.
What’s your favourite part of Scotland and why?
In the countryside: the Nith Valley in Ayrshire because it’s quiet and peaceful. In the city: the centre of Glasgow, because it’s not quiet and peaceful.
What was the last book you read?
Friends by the psychologist Robin Dunbar. Dunbar is an expert on friendship, why we need friends, and why we sometimes lose them. I’m writing about his work for The Herald.
What do you write about for The Herald?
My columns are mostly concerned with constitutional affairs, but I also write features for The Herald Magazine, often about history.
What will be the biggest stories of 2021 and the next decade?
Inevitably, whatever happens, the biggest story will be the constitutional future of Scotland. Perhaps there will come a time when there is a new settled will, and we’ll all stop fighting, but it’s unlikely to be in the next ten years.
What do you make of both the Scottish and UK government’s response to Coronavirus?
Both governments have been handling an unprecedented and unpredictable crisis so both governments have successes and failures. The idea that the Scottish Government has done considerably better is down to better PR.
Who’s going to win the Holyrood election and why?
The SNP are likely to win, but the bigger question is the damage that’s been done to their reputation recently. It weakens their ability to make another referendum happen.
What will happen with indyref2 after the election?
It’s very hard to predict, but the lack of a widespread and lasting public demand for one makes it less likely to happen.
Why should Scots sign up for a Herald subscription?
Because of the extraordinary range of writing and views and outlooks. I can’t think of a newspaper or magazine that has a wider range of opinion.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
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