Iain Macwhirter
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“Disunited Kingdom: how Westminster won a referendum but lost Scotland” Out now.
Here is a brief summary of some of the arguments in my new book. “Disunited Kingdom: how Westminster won a referendum but lost Scotland”. Published 8/12/14 by Cargo Books. http://www.cargopublishing.com ‘Changed, changed utterly” was Alex Salmond’s verdict, echoing WB Yeats on the referendum’s impact on Scotland. But how much really did change in those hectic … Continue reading
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READ IAIN TUESDAYS, THURSDAYS AND SUNDAYS ONLY IN THE HERALD AND SUNDAY HERALD. Scotland now has “the most powerful devolved parliament on the planet”, according to Lord Smith of Vow, who unveiled the latest package of new powers for Holyrood last week. It may also become one of the most impoverished if his scheme is … Continue reading
READ IAIN ON TUESDAYS THURSDAYS AND SUNDAYS ONLY IN THE HERALD AND SUNDAY HERALD. Has Nicola Sturgeon launched a new Highland Land War with her abolition of rates exemptions for sporting estates? 30/11/14 If so, there’s nothing wrong with a bit of good old-fashioned class politics to spice up her first Programme for Government, which … Continue reading
READ IAIN ON TUESDAYS, THURSDAYS AND SUNDAYS ONLY IN THE HERALD AND SUNDAY HERALD 28/11/14 Twitter followers under the age of 40 probably had not a clue what the Labour MP Michael McCann was on about when he tweeted about the Radical Independence Conference (RIC) “Trot Convention” in Glasgow at the weekend. “Trot” is a … Continue reading
READ IAIN ON TUESDAYS, THURSDAYS AND SUNDAYS ONLY IN THE HERALD AND SUNDAY HERALD. 28/1014 Labour MP Jim Murphy is an immensely capable politician – industrious, combative and intelligent; a natural campaigner who turned the referendum into what was almost his own presidential campaign, with his 100-town tour on an Irn-Bru crate. He has the … Continue reading
Scots are very good at heroic defeats – in football, on the battlefield and in elections. They’ve had plenty of practice after all. But the challenge for Scotland after the independence referendum is to realise what they have won, and this is more difficult. The temptation is to indulge in the consolations of victimhood, … Continue reading
A week is famously a long time in politics. Alex Salmond who resigned following the defeat of the Yes campaign in Scotland’s independence referendum, had been leader of the Scottish National Party for nearly a quarter of a century. That’s an eternity in politics – as I can testify from personal experience. I … Continue reading
They may have won the campaign, but the Yes campaign didn’t win the night. As Midlothian delivered a thumping victory for No at four am, the hopes of the enthusiastic independence campaigners finally died. In the cavernous BBC headquarters at Pacific Quay in Glasgow, there was jubilation amongst the unionist commentators and Labour politicians as … Continue reading
