Cabinet Secretary Simon Case confirmed he was looking into the Scottish government’s spending on independence. Speaking to the House of Lords Constitution Committee on Tuesday, Simon Case said that he and his colleagues were “looking at some of these specifics” around taxpayers’ money being spent on Scotland’s independence strategy. The question about funding for the…

By Colleen Kujawa From Chicago Tribune I’m not a social superhero. I’m friendly, but I’m neither savvy nor successful at small talk. But I love connecting with people in a sincere way, especially when I’m away from home. It’s one of the best parts of the human experience. When I went on vacation in England…

An independent Scotland will ban nuclear weapons from its territory, First Minister Humza Yousaf has promised. Yousaf, the leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP), made the pledge as he revealed that his party would introduce a written constitution for Scotland if it secures independence. Speaking ahead of the launch of the latest Building a…

The police has confirmed receiving a report of a tweet that threatened to “kill” an MP, but said the message did not meet the criminal threshold. The message was allegedly posted on Twitter under an image of Scottish National Party (SNP) MP Joanna Cherry following a heated parliamentary debate on whether to define “sex” as biological sex…

Universities in Scotland may be “blindly adopting an extreme form of anti-racism,” a lecturer said, as it emerged an anti-racism programme universities signed up to includes material saying the defence of academic freedom is a sign of so-called white indifference. Stuart Waiton, senior lecturer at Abertay University, who recently founded The Scottish Union for Education, said…

Universities in Scotland may be “blindly adopting an extreme form of anti-racism,” a lecturer said, as it emerged an anti-racism programme universities signed up to includes material saying the defence of academic freedom is a sign of so-called white indifference. Stuart Waiton, senior lecturer at Abertay University, who recently founded The Scottish Union for Education, said…

The Scottish Conservative Party has claimed that UK Labour’s plan to stop all new oil and gas projects will cost Scotland £6 billion. At the weekend, the Sunday Times Of London reported that Britain’s opposition leader Sir Keir Starmer was close to announcing a block on new developments if Labour came to power, alongside plans…

A Scottish minister has accused the UK government of trying to “sabotage” Scotland’s bottle returning pilot after Westminster said the scheme could only go ahead if glass bottles are excluded. Lorna Slater, the Scottish government minister responsible for implementing the deposit return scheme (DRS), said Holyrood now has to reconsider the viability of the scheme. The DRS is…

An official handbook has issued guidance for child and youth care services, suggesting that children as young as twelve could be referred for medical advice about transitioning. A report published by the Care Inspectorate (pdf), a regulatory body set up by the Scottish government in 2011, suggested that care home staff can “support young people…

If you squint your eyes a little, and really use your imagination, you can still see them. Huge wooden hulls built for long voyages in frigid, often-violent waters. Sail unfurled, perhaps snapping in a stiff wind. A long ship built to navigate what even today remain some of the world’s most difficult seas. As I…