Leader comment
Leader: Bid to oust Nessie is plain monstrous
PUT THE words “Loch” and “Ness” together and what comes next? Obvious, is it not? Blindingly obvious. Monster. What else would you associate with Scotland’s deep, dark, mysterious loch?
Leader: Time for Cameron to stand up and be counted
Another week, another UK government relaunch by the Prime Minister. Such has been the difficulty David Cameron has had in establishing his grip on the government, his party and the coalition, it has become hard to distinguish between fact and fiction, between the real Westminster administration and the one we see on television in The Thick Of It.
Leaders: A good conference but SNP still faces difficult decisions
IN KEY respects the SNP can be said to have had a good conference, deftly capitalising on the current confusion and disarray among the ranks of its opponents.
9 comments
Leaders: Salmond wins Nato battle but war is still to be won
AFTER a passionate, emotional and thoroughly genuine debate which raised the bar for democratic discussion well above anything seen at other major political party conferences, Alex Salmond succeeded in his demand that his Scottish National Party should reverse decades of opposition to Nato.
4 comments
Leaders: FSA lacks any credibility following banking crisis
In 2008, at the height of its delusional grandeur before disaster struck, Royal Bank of Scotland, with total assets of over $3.5 trillion, was the largest bank in the world by assets, the fifth largest by market capitalisation and a source of Scottish pride.
Leaders: All eyes focused on the SNP’s defining moment
THE Scottish National Party conference would not be worthy of its name if it did not feature a liberal sprinkling of quotes from the national bard, who is frequently cited, by everyone from rank-and-file delegates to Alex Salmond, as a source of wisdom and inspiration.
5 comments
Leaders: Gary McKinnon must be spared threat of further action
WE FREQUENTLY use this space to criticise politicians when they get decisions wrong, as they often do. For consistency we should, therefore, praise politicians when they make the correct decision, as Home Secretary Theresa May has done in blocking the extradition to the United States of computer hacker Gary McKinnon.
2 comments
Leaders: Unionist and Nationalist owe the voters clarity | Car smoking ban a step too far
In a revealing moment at his press conference at St Andrew’s House after he had signed “the Edinburgh Agreement” with David Cameron over the independence referendum Alex Salmond disclosed he had been given a note from his advisers warning him not to look triumphalist.
4 comments
Leaders: Historic agreement in place, we can now move forward
Today Prime Minister David Cameron and First Minister Alex Salmond will sign a historic deal in Edinburgh.
7 comments
Leaders: Europe’s Nobel Peace Prize is perhaps a fitting tribute
CONGRATULATIONS! You are a Nobel prize-winner. So, too, are we at The Scotsman, as are all our fellow Scots, all our compatriot Britons and, indeed, all our neighbouring Europeans.
13 comments
Leaders: ‘Super college’ plans are worth the money
PLANS by the Scottish government to merge colleges were never going to be painless or likely to yield anything by way of immediate savings.
1 comment
Leaders: Cameron is in office, but does he wield power? | Vending machines must be stubbed out
IN YESTERDAY’S paper, we said David Cameron had to come up with a very special conference speech if he was to counter the impression that the Conservative Party is drifting inexorably to electoral defeat at the next general election.
Leaders: Cameron must look beyond party faithful | Merkel’s efforts to be applauded
THE MAIN message of David Cameron’s speech to the Conservative Party conference today – in so far as it can be deemed from advance briefings – will be an appeal to British steadfastness.
1 commentLeaders: An austere speech for a time of austerity | Crombie must listen to artists
AFTER Labour leader Ed Miliband’s audacious attempt last week to purloin the idea of “One Nation” politics from the Tories, the response
yesterday on behalf of party that developed the idea out of Disraeli’s writing was somewhat lacklustre.
Leaders: Constitutional questions go beyond Nato membership
IN PLEDGING to bring forward a constitution after independence which would explicitly ban nuclear weapons from Scottish soil, First Minister Alex Salmond hopes to defuse a detonation at the SNP conference later this month.
3 commentsLeaders: Quite enough shadow boxing from our leaders
THE intricate two steps forward, one step backwards, two steps sideways waltz between Alex Salmond and David Cameron over the terms of the independence referendum is close to an end, according to the Prime Minister.
2 comments
Leaders: Question of universal benefits needs real debate
UNTIL recently outsiders may have been forgiven for thinking that while we thrash around in recession, the only issue preoccupying Scotland’s political elite was independence.
10 comments
Leaders: Public deserves better over rail bid shambles
WHEN Richard Branson cried foul on the decision that stripped his rail company of the west coast line between Scotland and London, many observers dismissed his comments as sour grapes.
4 comments
Leaders: Ed Miliband’s milestone does him a power of good
BEFORE yesterday’s speech by Ed Miliband at the Labour conference, there were some in his party who were fearing the worst.
1 comment
Leaders: EU membership for Scotland is not a given
ALEX Salmond has consistently maintained that there is no doubt that Scotland is, and will continue to be under independence, part of the EU. Tonight, Lord Wallace of Tankerness, the Advocate General in the Scotland Office, will add to the growing body of evidence which says that Mr Salmond is wrong and that automatic Scottish EU membership cannot be taken for granted.
4 comments
Leaders: Union call for past-it politics won’t put Labour in power
ON THE opening day of a critical party conference and with the opportunity to present himself as a credible alternative as prime minister, Ed Miliband found himself having to battle with the ghost of conferences past – militant unions trying to call the tune.
1 comment
Leaders: Extended scope of debate is to be welcomed
THIS week has seen a political debate in Scotland which is refreshing for two reasons. First, it was not about the constitution and, second, it was not started by the SNP.
5 commentsLeaders: Minimum pricing may just have to wait | Israel must hold back over Iran
ALCOHOL minimum pricing was to be a landmark piece of legislation by the SNP administration.
6 commentsLeaders: New police chief must now address public’s concerns | Clegg fails to convince own party
IF ANYONE was surprised at yesterday’s announcement that the creation of a single Scottish police force could cost up to 3,200 civilian jobs, then they have misunderstood the nature of this reform.
1 commentLeaders: Lamont is brave, but has she chosen a wise path? | Action needed over Sweeney saga
JOHANN Lamont’s speech yesterday on the future of Scottish Labour was billed as a landmark event for a party that has recently struggled to present itself in a coherent and compelling way to the electorate.
15 comments
Leader: Serious questions for Cable
WHAT are we to make of Vince Cable’s speech to the Liberal Democrat conference yesterday, in which he described Conservative right-wingers as “headbangers” and “backwoodsmen”?
6 comments
Leader: Soon the real debate can begin on independence
A JOINT statement issued by Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and Scottish Secretary Michael Moore yesterday said there had been “substantial progress” towards an agreement between Holyrood and Westminster on the details of the proposed independence referendum.
3 comments
Leader: Devil’s in the details on independence
CONSIDERING that the political battle over independence has dominated Scottish politics for well over a year, it may well be that the turn-out of 5,000 for the independence rally in Edinburgh on Saturday fell somewhat short of what the SNP had been privately counting on.
11 comments
Leader: Lib Dems have a wealth of ideas but dearth of credibility
NICK Clegg urges the Conservatives to back a “wealth tax”. There is no need to check the date: a Lib Dem party conference must surely be upon us.
- Celtic shareholders urge club to drop joint commercial deals with Rangers
- Earthquake that killed nine people in southern Spain was ‘man-made’
- Charles Green apologises to fans for revealing death threats
- Scottish independence: Row over SNP bid to ‘rig’ cash limits for referendum
- Fleet grounded after helicopter ditches in North Sea
- ‘Who dares wins’: Cheers and boos as SNP votes to end opposition to Nato
- SNP party conference: ‘We’re ruled by a bunch of Snootys,’ says Alex Salmond
- Scottish independence: Spain ‘would not allow Scots automatic EU entry’
- Scottish independence: Row over SNP bid to ‘rig’ cash limits for referendum
- Charles Green says path now cleared for Mike Ashley to buy stake in Rangers
- Scottish Government urged to review smoking ban
- Abercrombie & Fitch: The brand might soon open a store in Glasgow, but does its 'heritage' fit the city?
- Edinburgh trams: £100m left in budget as council pushes for faster progress
- Fleet grounded after helicopter ditches in North Sea
- Earthquake that killed nine people in southern Spain was ‘man-made’
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Weather for Edinburgh
Tuesday 23 October 2012
Today
Cloudy
Temperature: 9 C to 12 C
Wind Speed: 9 mph
Wind direction: North east
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: 6 C to 11 C
Wind Speed: 6 mph
Wind direction: North east
