Scotland in a federal Britain
In 2009 I was asked to write one of a series of blog posts for the now defunct blog Scottish Unionist. The piece was a vague exploration of a federal model for the UK, but also touched on questions...
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Why I will be voting no thanks
Some readers may know that I used to be actively involved in politics. I wrote about it all the time. Five years ago I decided to write mainly about other topics instead. So far I have not written much...
View ArticleA note on hope
Since I published my article about why I will be voting no in the Scottish independence referendum, one of the most interesting points of discussion has been on the yes campaign’s ability to sell a...
View ArticleThe world is looking at Scotland and saying no thanks
Yesterday morning according to the political betting markets, there was an implied probability of 29% that Scotland would vote yes in the independence referendum. As a result, almost £4.8bn was wiped...
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A dark vision of democracy
Header image by Al2. This week North Korea, the world’s least free country, gave its backing to Scottish independence. On the same day, the yes campaign held an extraordinary event that gave the world...
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Referendum reflections
Header image by Brian McNeil There have been two weeks to reflect on the Scottish independence referendum, and it has been a tough result for many to stomach. In a sense that was to be expected. For...
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The rise of nationalist parties and the decline of Labour
Header image by Donald Macleod Labour needs to find its own narrative before it can tackle the SNP and Ukip. The publication of Lord Ashcroft’s huge poll of 16 Scottish constituencies confirms what...
View ArticleInitial thoughts from Dundee West on the general election
UK general election 2015 part 1. This is the most difficult voting decision I have ever had to make. I am not even sure what I should be using my vote for, not least because of the political landslide...
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Why I won’t be voting for the SNP
UK general election 2015 part 2. This is the first of four articles I will be publishing about the major parties standing in my area. You may be interested in my introductory article: Initial thoughts...
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Personal reflections on the leaving the European Union
There is never a good time for parochialism, and now is an especially bad time. But a slightly parochial thought is providing me with one silver lining amid the gloom following the EU referendum...
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No voter caught on camera
This week I have had the slightly odd experience of being filmed in my living room for a documentary about the Scottish independence referendum. The documentary is due to be broadcast on the new BBC...
View ArticleThis week I found out I won’t be on that Scottish independence referendum...
This week I found out I won’t make the cut of that Scottish independence referendum documentary I was filmed for a few months ago. Due to a change in editorial focus, apparently. It’s actually a bit of...
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Ways forward for the Liberal Democrats? Why winning power is overrated
A couple of articles I read before Christmas have been swirling round my head. Firstly, a perspective from Vince Cable, in which he calls for centre-left parties to work more closely together. Cards on...
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