Iain Macwhirter
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Lords Supreme are not another Parcel o’ Rogues. They’ve done Scots a favour rejecting veto on A50.
The Scottish Parliament looks like being the first institution on the Brexit casualty list. After last week’s landmark ruling by the Supreme Court, Westminster has rightly been restored to its proper place at the very apex of the British constitution, source of all legislative authority. However, in the process, Holyrood’s lawmaking powers have been revealed … Continue reading
After the Supreme Court, the phoney war is over; the Battle of Brexit begins.
WITH this week’s landmark ruling by the Supreme Court, and Theresa May’s Lancaster House speech last week, the phoney war is over and the Battle of Brexit is about to begin. We should thank the Law Lords for drafting a landmark ruling that will be studied by constitutionalists for centuries. They defied the death threats … Continue reading
Trump First. Protectionism is the New World Order.
AS the Nobel laureates of the Nuclear Science and Security Board prepared to edge their famous Doomsday Clock closer to midnight last week, there was a distinct sense of time being called on the liberal era. It has become a media trope, a cliché, a cry of pain from the intelligentsia that the lights are … Continue reading
America First, America Fist. Irony dies as Trump promises power to the people.
There he stood at the inauguration, President Donald Trump raising his fist in a bizarre parody of a revolutionary salute. Promising to bring the workers of America back the jobs that have been stolen from them by the international neoliberal elite. This billionaire protectionist, hero of the proletariat who has filled his cabinet with the … Continue reading
Nicola Sturgeon needs to get moving if she wants indyref2 before Brexit.
Contrary to popular belief, Theresa May has made pretty clear what her red lines are on Brexit. There will be no free movement, no accepting the rulings of the European Court of Justice. There will be no attempt to remain a member any of the multiple, overlapping EU-sponsored free trading zones: a customs union, single … Continue reading
Don’t write off the single market; the grande lady has yet to sing
In a few days, the Supreme Court is expected to rule on whether parliament should have a say on Article 50. It’s expected to confirm that, as every student knows, parliament is sovereign in our constitution, and that Mrs May was out of order in trying to push the Brexit process through under the pre-democratic … Continue reading
Sturgeon is right to condemn Section 40 and state regulation of press.
THE British press, for good or ill, has been free from state regulation for over 300 years. Many people, not least celebrities who have been hounded by paparazzi and phone hackers, believe predatory tabloids should be regulated, like the broadcasters. Many on the left would also like to see Rupert Murdoch’s media empire brought to … Continue reading
2016 was happier, safer and more peaceful than ever.
ABOUT this time of year, I usually devote a column to some of the positive stories that have been missed or under-reported in the course of the last twelve months. This year it might seem a futile endeavour given Donald Trump, Brexit, Aleppo, Ukraine and so on. But. as always, there’s another side to 2016. … Continue reading
Send in the killer clowns.
IN the autumn of 2016 the media became saturated by images of so-called killer clowns – people wearing horror masks and clown costumes, often carrying knives or other weapons. It was never entirely clear how many of these evil figures were really stalking the streets of Britain and America. Police Scotland issued a warning in … Continue reading
Iain Macwhirter 