Salmond lands all the best punches in 'stairheid rammy' Forget the postcard Dave, it's time to pay us a visit. Dear Dave, I can call you Dave?
It turns out we're friends, after all. From what you say, we could even be family. This alone is exciting news. We've never had a Tory in the family before, least of all one even slightly worried about what we might think or do. That was quite a speech you gave there, Dave. Forget the postcard Dave, it's time to pay us a visit. FM: David Cameron should face me or withdraw his party and government from independence debate. The First Minister said he will take on "all and sundry" in the debate about the future of Scotland but wants to take on Mr Cameron first.
The Prime Minister has repeatedly said that the debate should take place among the people of Scotland, pointing to Scottish MP and Better Together chief Alistair Darling as the key speaker for the Unionist campaign, but Mr Salmond has indicated that he is yet to take no for answer. "Let's see where the Prime Minister can hide on this one," he told BBC Radio Scotland. "I'm hoping we can box the Prime Minister into a corner, and let me explain why I think he has to do it. Cameron urged to clarify estate ownership. Custom byline text: david ross highland correspondent Andy Wightman has raised questions about the apparently complex ownership of the Bahamas-registered 18,736-acre Tarbert Estate.
The Prime Minister, his wife Samantha and their three children stayed on the inner Hebridean island last week before moving on to Polzeath, Cornwall. Why Ukip has no relevance in Scotland. The Real McGowan: BetterTogether, Ian Taylor's £500,000 donation and his shady past. The Sunday Hearld, in it's latest edition, reported that the No campaign had a war chest of £2m.
Nearly half of this "war chest" was donated by Chief Exec of Vitol - the Dutch multinational energy and commodity trading company - Ian Taylor. This substantial donation of £500,000, from a large oil trader, was celebrated by the Better Together campaign leaders as blow to the Yes campaign. Ian Taylor was even encouraged to write on "Why I decided to give Better Together £500,000", which can be found on BetterTogether and the Hearld's websites. Far from damaging the Yes campaign, this Better Together donation actually came back to bite them on the arse - which could have been avoided. Brown shows how to make enemies of so-called friends. If that sounds harsh, perhaps we could speculate that the biggest of Scottish Labour's beasts was misinformed.
In any event, someone forgot to tell Gordon Brown that goring members of your own herd might count as counter-productive. A Scottish constitution to serve the common weal. In the sense in which the word constitution is used from Poland to Portugal and from Nova Scotia to New South Wales – as a fundamental basic law that regulates the powers and institutions of the state – it does not even exist.
Fearful of the democratising potential of a constitution that would protect our rights and hold rulers to a higher law, the British establishment has preferred to rely on the untrammelled power of a sovereign (but well-whipped) Parliament, a motley collection of statutes cobbled together over the centuries, some hallowed traditions made up on the fly, and a set of unwritten conventions that can be rehashed, recycled, and twisted beyond recognition to suit the needs of the Government of the day. Osborne's threat shows independence is viable. The Treasury has indeed decided to "make things sound as difficult and obstructive as possible".
The argument over the currency that might be used in an independent Scotland is essentially political, not economic. But then, what did the Finance Secretary expect? Mr Swinney, a moderate man, probably understands exactly what George Osborne is up to with his Scotland Analysis: Currency and Monetary Policy report. In effect, the Chancellor has come to Glasgow and said: "Vote for independence if you like. But in any sense that matters, we won't allow it. " Choose independence and hope for a formal currency union, says Mr Osborne, and we will demand control over the essentials of your economy. Behold the clown prince of British politics: who's laughing now? The "fruitcakes and loonies", as the Prime Minister once described the United Kingdom Independence Party members, now have their hands on the windpipe of the Tory party.
Cameron insists that he will listen in future to what they are saying. What does he mean? Well, by common agreement, Middle England turned out to vote for UKIP last week, not only because of antagonism towards the European Union, but also because of fears of immigration being out of control, antipathy towards welfare "scroungers", discontent at government plans to introduce same-sex marriage and resentment at climate change and human rights policies "coming from Europe".
UKIP says it wants to "repatriate" English law from Brussels. It was, as many defeated Conservative candidates pointed out, a reaction against liberal "metropolitan" Conservatism by the ranks of traditional grassroots Tory voters. Farage was right to call it a sea change. Controversial background of No campaign donor. BetterTogether, Ian Taylor's £500,000 donation and his shady past.
Can Scotland escape the killer zombies? In fact, something quite extraordinary is happening, which is transforming the world of work, making a nonsense of Government policies such as the much-criticised Work Programme and turning a once prosperous and relatively secure society into one driven by insecurity and debt.
It also poses a very serious question about Scotland's future. You see, UK unemployment – at 2.5 million – is a lot lower than it should be. Ex-first minister may vote Yes. Michael Moore savaged by Unionist peers over EU row. Members of the House of Lords Economic Affairs Committee accused Michael Moore of leaving Scotland with "a blind vote" and adopting a "puzzling", "unsustainable" and "totally irresponsible" position of offering to address uncertainties while refusing to approach the European Commission (EC) for answers. Former Tory Scottish Secretary Lord Forsyth, an arch-critic of devolution and independence, suggested Scottish Finance Secretary John Swinney had a point when he criticised the UK Government for not exercising its exclusive power as the EU member state to talk to the EC. Listen up Westminster ... Scotland is a European nation.
Custom byline text: BY NICOLA STURGEON Deputy First Minister.
How Gordon Matheson scrapped George Square revamp when judges ignored his choice. Custom byline text: And when the judges instead picked a design that Gordon Matheson strongly disliked, he scrapped the project in what the sources described as "a fit of pique". Although the chairman of the judging panel was officially David Mackay, a partner in MBM Architects Barcelona, the Sunday Herald has been told by two sources that Matheson made it clear at the first meeting that he would be de facto chairman as he was council leader and the redesign was his brainchild, adding that public opposition would not affect the outcome.
The sources say Matheson then appeared to pre-empt the judging process by saying he thought Option 6, by architects Burns & Nice, should win. He also openly criticised Option 2, by John McAslan & Partners, sources said. However, when the results came in, on Thursday, January 17, they showed the McAslan design was the winner. Matheson "had his head in his hands", according to one council source. Stiglitz: only independence will let Scots tackle income divide. Custom byline text: Professor Joseph Stiglitz served on the Fiscal Commission and its working group under chairman Crawford Beveridge, which reported this week on how an independent Scotland within a Sterling zone could flourish. The US expert is understood to have pressed for the inclusion of a section in the report making the direct link between social and economic inequality and stunted economic growth.
Mr Stiglitz said countries which are more unequal do not grow as well and are less stable. A concentration of income restricts economic growth by limiting the potential of people to contribute productively. At the same time inequality may restrict government investment in infrastructure, education, and technology. The working group report pointed out that since 1975 the income gap had grown faster in the UK than in any other developed country. Labour to lift ban on dual candidacies for Holyrood elections. Custom byline text: Exclusive, by Paul Hutcheon. Salmond should park his tank on the Brussels lawn. The EU's unprecedented case of legal obfuscation. This week we could probably add that it's unwise to mistake any nation's approach to self-determination with the attitudes embraced anywhere else.
Why can't they say No without the negativity? I admit straightaway to being very sympathetic to the Yes campaign. Yet I hope I am open- minded enough to allow myself to be persuaded, against all my current instincts, to consider changing my mind if the Better Together campaign can come up with some genuine, realistic positivity about Scotland's future as a constituent part of the UK. Michelle McManus: I'm a bonkers superfan of River City Michelle McManus: I'm a totally bonkers superfan of River City. Lamont's cuts to fair policies will not win Labour any votes. No, it's not a very attractive image with which to start the day, but that was how John Swinney, the SNP Finance Secretary, described the Scottish Labour leader, Johann Lamont, after she announced her "cuts commission" into expendable social spending. I'm not sure I can really see Ms Lamont in a kilt either, come to think of it.
Independent Scotland 'would get Europe fast track' The Scottish Tories battle to save the Union starts here - a detached house in Sussex. Custom byline text: Campaigning for the U-word. Plenty, it seems. Scottish Labour's battles could spell the end for UK. The Scottish Labour Party is engaged in its favourite pursuit: personal infighting. Murray's win is a triumph for bloody-mindedness. English 'would bomb our airports' Everyone loves Devo Plus ... or Max ... or even Minus. Can the Unionist campaign coalesce round one leader?
The power and the Tory. Councillor wants inquiry into 'threats' Defence inquiry into the impact of independence. First step in choreography of referendum agreement. Labour in Glasgow: the long goodbye. Labour row over bullying escalates. Herald Scotland. The hidden agenda behind fight against independence. McLeish hits out at Labour over new law - Herald Scotland. Labour kills off Westminster home rule vote - Herald Scotland. 2011 Review 3: The SNP victory march. Independence Part 1: How Scotland has changed.