New polls suggest the SNP may still be dependent on their separatist allies to hold on to power in Edinburgh after the upcoming elections.
“I think all of us are very nervous about the Christmas period,” and there’s a sense of “desperation” for people to see their families, he admits.
Plus: There is speculation of a Cabinet reshuffle soon, but I hear otherwise…
Also: Corbyn tries to rally support with Scottish tour; Clark in Dublin to keep Ulster’s lights on during no-deal Brexit; and huge scale of Scottish deficit revealed.
Also: Grieve says Irish Sea border is ‘completely unacceptable’; Sturgeon reshuffles Cabinet as SNP delay flagship education bill.
Also: Cairns criticised over future of Swansea tidal lagoon; SNP squeeze private schools as teacher crisis deepends; and Foster ‘was not fully warned’ about RHI risks.
Also: Swinney accused of misleading MSPs over Named Persons; UUP and SDLP offer power-sharing opposition; Plaid AM dismisses Labour pact; and more.
Also: First Minister of Wales opposes second EU vote; SNP face budget pressures as support for separation stalls; poll deflates Irish nationalists; and more.
The new law fits into a pattern of behaviour which sets the Scottish Nationalists apart as one of the most centralising, even authoritarian, major forces in British politics.
Also: SNP shy away from new top rate of income tax despite radical rhetoric; Northern Irish Unionists and liberals avoid commemorations of 1916 rising; and more.
Also: Brexit battle spreads to Ulster; UKIP hold out hope of Scottish Parliament success; Jones challenges Crabb on the Wales Bill; and more.
Also: SDLP plan for Stormont opposition; Labour at odds with Jones over EU poll; three more (ex-)SNP MPs in the firing line; and more.
Also: IRA victims calls Corbyn out; Welsh UKIP chief backs Farage; DUP elect first female leader; Carmichael takes police advice after death threat; and more.
Sturgeon and Swinney must stop relying on Salmond’s belligerent and baseless assertions.
It’s no wonder John Swinney felt compelled to cancel Scottish Higher and Advanced Higher exams given the current state of play.