Former British Vice Admiral John McAnally entered into the Scottish constitutional debate the other day by warning of the “dire” defence implications for Scotland and the rest of the United Kingdom should…
Opinion polls can have a profound influence on the atmosphere of a campaign. If they suggest that one side is well ahead, the media loses interest. The politicians get less space and perhaps airtime, while…
Labour leader Ed Miliband addresses the party faithful in Scotland.
Andrew Milligan/PA
Ed Miliband’s goal in addressing the Scottish Labour conference in Perth was straightforward: to promote the campaign for the No vote on the forthcoming referendum on Scottish independence. There are all…
Scottish Labour leader Johann Lamont launched an awkward compromise.
David Cheskin/PA Archive
The publication of the Labour Party’s Devolution Commission leaves the Conservatives as the only significant pro-union party yet to declare what further devolution it would consider in the event of a no…
More austerity will mean more unhappy referendum voters in months to come.
NUS Scotland
Chancellor George Osborne has delivered his last budget before the September referendum in Scotland. He did so with one eye on the UK election in May 2015. But the other was firmly focused on the Scottish…
Banter: BBC and Alex Salmond in happier times.
Scottish Government
Called to give evidence of possible BBC bias in coverage of the Scottish referendum campaign to the Scottish Parliament’s education and culture committee on 11 March, I prompted gasps from more than one…
Shell and BP bosses are raising fears about North Sea future in independent Scotland.
Nick Bramhall
The recent concerns raised by the chief executives of BP and Shell, Bob Dudley and Ben van Beurden, about a possible “yes” outcome in the Scottish referendum might seem a bit puzzling given their huge…
Can rational argument defeat the dreams of a nation?
Reid Kerr Photo Comp
“Can a man not have a dream?” When my pro-independence brother Andrew said that to me, it was the moment when I knew. When I knew I could not win the argument; when I knew the No campaign can never win…
Teenagers preparing to take the plunge at North Berwick.
Neil Roger
Young people are accused of many things: being individualistic, hedonistic and spending most of their time in front of computers. They are frequently said to be disengaged from things that matter and most…
With the likes of RBS, Lloyds/Bank of Scotland and Standard Life all raising concerns about the prospects of Scottish independence in recent days, various commentators have been pointing to the risks that…
Will this be how the Record celebrates a Scottish No vote?
Lis Ferla
Few things are most closely scrutinised by media watchers than The Sun’s headlines at election time. “Will the last person in Britain please turn out the lights” is often seen as crucial to the outcome…
UK Culture Secretary Maria Miller threatens BBC retreat if Scotland votes ‘yes’
Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire
When culture secretary, Maria Miller, said a Yes vote by Scotland would entail the departure of the BBC, it reignited the debate about its future in an independent Scotland, and also its value north of…
Scottish marines dashing through the glens near Dundee.
David Cheskin/PA
The Scottish government’s commitment to a post-independence defence and security budget of £2.5 billion, “exceeds most of the earlier predictions” and would place it in the top six of NATO countries for…
Barroso is doing no favours for the Yes campaign.
Virginia Mayo/AP/PA
President of the European Commission José Manuel Barroso’s comments on Scottish EU membership during his recent interview with Andrew Marr were discredited as an example of the fear-mongering pervading…
35 quid says they keep Sterling.
Danny Lawson/PA Wire
The Scottish referendum campaign has finally caught fire. After months of bland nothingness, the coordinated interventions of George Osborne, Ed Balls, Danny Alexander, and (most extraordinarily) Treasury…
Puzzled? Stuck? Or just apathetic? Scotland’s undecideds.
David Cheskin/PA Wire
A lot of things have been said about those who have not made their minds up yet with regards to whether they will vote yes or no in this year’s referendum on Scotland’s constitutional future. Sometimes…
Currency question crucial for Scottish business sector.
Andrew Milligan/PA
The announcement by the Chancellor, George Osborne, that there would not be monetary union between an independent Scotland and the rump UK is a game changer. It comes one day after researchers, including…
Who gets the money – and the debt?
Scott Heppell/PA Wire
Currency unions between independent states are technically difficult to establish and run. They can require strict limits to fiscal autonomy, and they can need painful adjustments if the component economies…
Team GB’s gold medal hopes are pinned on the Scottish curling team.
Benson Kua
Jenny Jones’ bronze medal in the women’s snowboard slopestyle has rekindled excitement in Britain for the Sochi games following much controversy over the cost and human rights and security fears in Russia…
Fair fa’ your honest, sonsie face.
Wikimedia Commons
On 25 January, people all over the world will congregate to feast upon a spicy sheep’s stomach – but not before they’ve recited a poem in its honour. The occasion is Burns Night, the poem is Robert Burns’s…