Women's Aid: How secure is Scotland's domestic abuse safety net? www.holyrood.com/inside-polit... @kirsteenpaterson.bsky.social

When Dawn Brennan was 15, she met “angels” - her local Women's Aid workers. Now that service has collapsed amidst rising national domestic abuse cases. So how secure is the safety net for Scotland's women? www.holyrood.com/inside-polit...

"Farage’s party is the most Eurosceptic presence in Holyrood. If those ranks grow, how will it affect our engagement with the EU?" asks @kirsteenpaterson.bsky.social www.holyrood.com/comment/view...

Imagine the risks you could mitigate if you knew what was ahead. Politicians are fond of making predictions. But they don't always come true. Take Brexit, for example... www.holyrood.com/comment/view...

In politics, when someone claims they can predict the future, make sure you have a sachet of salt handy, writes @kirsteenpaterson.bsky.social www.holyrood.com/comment/view...

Alexander Dennis has announced it now intends to continue building buses at its two factories in Falkirk. The firm can access a £4m Government furlough deal if it can secure sufficient new orders.

Council ‘to save millions’ as Scotland’s first PPP schools contract ends www.holyrood.com/news/view,co...

We should not be surprised that there are west Africans in early medieval Britain, the clues were there.

Port Glasgow has been named Scotland's 'most dismal' town in the return of the Carbuncle awards. But what happened to some of the towns previously given that title? www.holyrood.com/inside-polit...

"I live in the real world; the real world is full of compromises" - Literary heavyweight Ian Rankin is days away from the Bloody Scotland festival. He says it's time to get real about corporate sponsorship, the arts & divestment www.holyrood.com/inside-polit...

This doubly telling because 1) being totally batshit on the internet as a British MP can now give you a 50% uplift on an MP's salary! bit of a worrying incentive! 2) being one of the most shared politicians on X only earns you £40k, meaning most of the blue ticks are debasing themselves for pennies

All I'm saying is can we please confirm the new Scottish Sec asap on this Friday afternoon www.holyrood.com/news/view,ia...

Divestment in the arts? You can never be pure enough for some people, says @ianrankin1.bsky.social www.holyrood.com/inside-polit...

Ross Greer and Gillian Mackay have been elected new co-leaders of the Scottish Greens in a vote that saw just 950 members of the party cast ballots www.holyrood.com/news/view,sc...

Graham Simpson has defected from the Scottish Conservatives to Reform.

457 British service personnel died fighting the Taliban in a conflict which cost the UK Government £32.8bn in today's money, and now Nigel Farage wants to do a deal with the regime which has seized power illegitimately? www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Jeremy Balfour has quit the Scottish Conservatives, accusing the party of becoming "reactionary" and "chasing cheap headlines". He will now sit as an independent. www.holyrood.com/news/view,je...

Colin Smyth MSP suspended by Labour after being arrested and charged over possession of indecent images www.holyrood.com/news/view,co...

❗ High risk of wildfire for nearly all of Scotland during much of the coming week. It should barely need saying but still, please shout it from the rooftops... 📣 It is simply not responsible to have a campfire when the wildfire risk is high.

Frankly, Nicola Sturgeon’s memoir is bad news for the SNP, says @kirsteenpaterson.bsky.social www.holyrood.com/comment/view...

NEW: Police Scotland sends report to prosecutors after former Labour councillor leader Frank McAveety charged with fraud. www.dailyrecord.co.u...

There is now a notable attainment gap between the Scottish Government’s rhetoric and its results on the attainment gap, writes @kirsteenpaterson.bsky.social www.holyrood.com/comment/view...

The UK Government will recognise Palestinian statehood unless Israel ends the "appalling situation" in Gaza, Keir Starmer has said www.holyrood.com/news/view,ke...

'Some products, some messages, don’t sell in overseas markets. Trump, who prides himself on dealmaking, has failed to sell himself to Scotland. This week's trip is unlikely to make a difference' - me on the US president's travels www.holyrood.com/comment/view...

Isobelle Ouzman carves intricate 3D illustrations into discarded books found in dumpsters, recycling bins, and local thrift shops #WomensArt

What a hollowed-out fucked-up corporate “local news industry” we’ve got, reliant on disillusioned poverty pay graduates rewriting dodgy press releases that are gamed for SEO by a casino, all enabled by Google pushing this shit through its Discover tab. pressgazette.co.uk/news/the-pr-...

Ex-Edinburgh Rape Crisis boss Mridul Wadhwa makes MSP bid for Scottish Greens www.holyrood.com/news/view,ex...

Love coming home in daylight

How do you boost rewilding in Scotland? Using drones, a new study suggests www.holyrood.com/news/view,dr...

MPs are voting on assisted dying today, but it's worth remembering that doesn't cover Scotland. This is what happened when Scottish-specific proposals went to the vote recently www.holyrood.com/inside-polit...

“Nobody knows what will happen next. Nobody knows who the buyer will be or what the economic impact will be.” The Clan Donald estate on Skye is up for sale. MSPs say it proves why the law needs to change. www.holyrood.com/inside-polit...

It's Patrick Harvie's last FMQs as Scottish Greens co-leader today. Who will replace him? It's a big moment for a party at a crossroads www.holyrood.com/comment/view...

Scotland has seven Commissioners and there are plans on the table for five more - but MSPs want the plans dropped www.holyrood.com/news/view,no...

Covering beach and brae, loch and landmark, Clan Donald’s ancient holdings are to be sold, all 20,000 acres of them. The community on Skye wants it stopped, and new Scottish Government land reforms could do that - but they're coming too late www.holyrood.com/inside-polit...

With the plan for Galloway scrapped and the Flamingo Land Loch Lomond application called in amid local anger, what next for Scotland's national parks? www.holyrood.com/inside-polit...

"We’ve learned fantastic lessons from the by-election": Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar on Hamilon, Farage and 2026 www.holyrood.com/inside-polit...

This was a lovely surprise. And brilliant to be joined at this important event by women from North Lanarkshire Council’s resettlement team, who are making good things happen - you can read about their work here www.holyrood.com/inside-polit...

One of my favourite stories is a sitting councillor who said "Coleens my favourite" when asked about this and did not pass betting for reselection.

It's sadly not too often we get to break good news in this job, but this is one of those times. Thanks to Ruth for speaking to me www.holyrood.com/news/view,ru...

SNP MSP Ruth Maguire has said she is cancer-free and ready to return to work www.holyrood.com/news/view,ru...

I think I have got to the bottom of the curious case of the faked Telegraph article about the rich banker who could not afford school fees, which was first flagged by @ianfraser.bsky.social pressgazette.co.uk/publishers/n...

Yikes, the @foi.scot workload record has been smashed again. Following Aprils biggest ever number of new cases (80), May has seen another 15% increase on that to 92. We’re working flat out and are now 2/3 way through the historical backlog. Our intervention progress work is suffering though.

Renfrewshire councillor Jamie McGuire was a rising star in Scottish Labour - he's just defected to Reform UK www.holyrood.com/news/view,bl...

Last night my aunt, Sheila Begbie, was inducted into the Scottish football Hall of Fame. A trailblazer, a legend, a hero - she is also one of the nicest people you'll ever meet. After I visited the San Siro to watch Milan some years ago, she said, 'Oh, I played there for Scotland once'.

The UK is "moving to warfare readiness", the PM says. He says his government's aim is to "deliver peace through strength".

Why are they reporting it like it's a paramilitary coup?

Fevered campaigning in Hamilton today in the last weekend before the polls open. You can keek behind the scenes of the contest here www.holyrood.com/inside-polit...

Mitchell Library, Glasgow. (2025) Pic: Paul4jags

In Hamilton, Larkhall & Stonehouse, there is a fierce fight to capture a seat made vacant in the worst of circumstances – the death of incumbent Christina McKelvie. With a year to go until the Scottish Parliament election, the contest is both tragic and totemic www.holyrood.com/inside-polit...