Very sorry to hear about Ming’s passing. He was a tireless advocate for his constituents and communities across NE Fife. He was also a diligent and committed Chancellor of St Andrews Uni. He will be missed locally and nationally, thinking about his many friends & family.

The UK’s recognition of Palestine is long overdue. However, it alone it is insufficient and more needs to be done to put pressure on Israel to stop the war and find a lasting peace - www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home...

At Holyrood all MSPs are ultimately accountable to the electorate. That isn’t the case at Westminster. Why Labour should do us all a favour and make good on its 115 year old manifesto commitment- www.scotsman.com/news/opinion...

👏👏 At last! Stephen Gethins SNP MP - Farage’s Brexit is behind illegal migration; Reform must own it Under hard Brexit he & his Tory allies, the price of groceries have gone up, our energy bills have soared - & at a time of intl crisis, the UK is more isolated from its partners than ever before

Stephen Gethins: Why students – and the Foreign Office – should study John Swinney's handling of Donald Trump www.scotsman.com/news/opinion...

Scotland has diplomatic clout and the First Minister has used it deftly in seeking to protect hobs at home - www.scotsman.com/news/opinion...

Hi All, The Strategists is on a great but limited time kindle offer. You can get the book for only $1.99 but you need to move quickly. Here is a link. www.amazon.com/Strategists-...

Why Brexiteers are responsible for and own the small boats crisis - www.scotsman.com/news/opinion...

Why Brexiteers are responsible for and own the small boats crisis - www.scotsman.com/news/opinion...

The small boats crisis has been driven by Brexit. Time to stop blaming those asylum seekers desperate enough to cross channel. The punching down, from those to caused the problem must stop. Time to end the UK’s isolation in Europe and rejoin the Dublin regulations.

The SNP's @stephengethins.bsky.social says small boat crossings have "increased dramatically after Brexit". "Instead of punching down and joining in with the victim blaming of Reform and the Conservatives, will the PM reject their isolationism and rejoin the Dublin convention...?" #PMQs

The small boats crisis has been driven by Brexit. Time to stop blaming those asylum seekers desperate enough to cross channel. The punching down, from those to caused the problem must stop. Time to end the UK’s isolation in Europe and rejoin the Dublin regulations.

www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/politic... The source of the information in this article is Stephen Gethins MP, Vice President of the European Movement. Nigel Farage and Reform must own the massive increase in small boat arrivals.

There was an upsurge in small boat crossings after the UK abandoned a returns agreement with other European countries. The UK now stands alone in Western Europe in being outside that agreement. Hard Brexiteers own this problem. Time to rejoin the Dublin convention.

The rights that were gained in the post war world are under threat like never before. We already lost our rights as EU citizens, now some Westminster politicians want to take us the same way as Russia and Belarus in leaving the European Convention.

80 years on from the formal end of WW2 the rules based system & individual rights that emerged from that conflict are under threat. The world order is again up for grabs - www.scotsman.com/news/opinion...

So on this basis by 2065, Scotland and Wales will have been independent for a generation, Irish unity will have been long established, & an impoverished, kleptocratic England will be beginning its second quarter century under the dictatorship of some bloke who is currently a mid ranking MI5 officer

Nigel Farage is in Scotland lecturing us about a migration problem that he helped create. The UK was part of the Dublin convention as an EU member that meant returns. That was abandoned. Reform would rather do deals with the Taliban than our closest neighbours in the rest of Europe.

Labour have long since lost the ability to say ‘this is morally wrong’ despite a succession of open goals.

The laziness and implied bias of the BBC here is extreme - "No 10 did not comment" presumably because the CPS and courts are independent, but there's no attempt to find anyone who would argue the opposite view, just the unchallenged whine of someone who called for asylum seekers to be burnt to death

With Brexit, HS2, the Rwanda scheme and more Westminster is easily the most wasteful layer of Government in the UK. Over the past year alone blowing almost double the Scottish Government’s entire annual budget - www.scotsman.com/news/opinion...

Why Independence is the opposite of Brexit & consequently @JohnSwinney plan is the right one - www.scotsman.com/news/opinion...

And expect that number to shrink further. No matter how much the government, major parties, or tabloid press push “Brexit benefits…” People know Brexit doesn’t. Brexit leaves the UK in a structurally weaker position, bleeding money, time, efficiency and opportunity daily.

When Parliament returns @snp.org will introduce a Bill to recognise Palestine if the UK has still not done it by then.

When Parliament returns @snp.org will introduce a Bill to recognise Palestine if the UK has still not done it by then.

🇪🇺🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 It was a wonderful pleasure to welcome Ursula von der Leyen to Scotland last night and to discuss trade, energy, EU co-operation, Ukraine and the tragedy in Gaza. A very helpful opportunity to set out Scotland’s priorities and to hear the perspective of the EU leadership.

Why Labour’s attacks on Scotland’s water backfired so badly - www.scotsman.com/news/opinion...

Why Labour’s attacks on Scotland’s water backfired so badly - www.scotsman.com/news/opinion...

*England and Wales. Not "UK". Ofwat only regulates England and Wales. Water in Scotland is managed completely differently - it's publicly owned, not privatised. This is basic stuff.

Wrote a little love letter to Denmark 🫶🇩🇰 In good Nordic style, I of course had to dunk on them a little. But the main point is: if all European countries were more like Denmark, Ukraine and Europe would be in a very different place now. On the Europe Dispatch with @phillipspobrien.bsky.social

We are always looking for ways to improve our politics. Could a Danish style ‘People’s Meeting’ work for Scotland? www.scotsman.com/news/opinion...

The Tories were a disaster in office, why on earth is Labour pursuing more of the same - www.scotsman.com/news/opinion...

Westminster policies have wasted billions in recent years. Labour is looking in the wrong places for savings - www.scotsman.com/news/opinion...

Leaving the EU was a bad idea 9 years ago but given events since it is an even worse idea today. Damaging to the economy, restrictive to the rights of young people and more isolated in an insecure world. What an expensive waste of a decade.

The Scotsman is looking for a new Westminster Correspondent! It's brilliant gig, a lovely team, and a great time to join with the Holyrood election next year. If you're interested and have questions, feel free to DM www.jobstoday.co.uk/jobs/4065173...

Be careful what you wish for in Iran. The perils of a rush to war, why we need diplomacy and reflections from a visit to the country - www.scotsman.com/news/opinion...

The mainstreaming of far right ideas in UK politics needs to be challenged & shows why @johnswinney.bsky.social was right to raise the alarm - www.scotsman.com/news/opinion...

Dear Russians, this is not a terrorist attack. This is war. Ukraine targeted your strategic bombers, not your homes. Your own armed forces are, on the other hand, constantly terrorising Ukrainian civilians.

Aircraft carriers of the world USA UK France Ukraine

Why the flouting of international law in Gaza and the UK’s weak response should concern us all - www.scotsman.com/news/opinion...

For all the hype from the Prime Minister, this week’s deal barely made a dent in the ongoing damage Brexit is doing - www.scotsman.com/news/opinion...

A clip from the conversation between @cluthaman.bsky.social and @stephengethins.bsky.social earlier this month.

@stephengethins.bsky.social and @cluthaman.bsky.social talk about the SNP MP’s hopes with regard to Starmer’s achievements during the UK-EU Summit. Listen to this conversation following the link below or on whichever platform you listen to podcasts.

Read this thought provoking and carefully argued assessment from @stephengethins.bsky.social

The Prime Minister’s speech on migration was wrong and damaging for our economy & public services - www.scotsman.com/news/opinion...

Stephen Gethins is right to raise the question. If democracy means anything, it must include the right to change our minds. While no one can predict the future, what we can do now is start rebuilding our relationship with Europe, step by step, in the national interest.

Feels like Starmer has fallen in with the bad boys and, desperate to impress, doesn’t know where to draw the line.

Or should I have paid the NHS surcharge for our family of five of about £4,400 per year (on top of two adults paying taxes and national insurance) with more enthusiasm and gratefulness?

Leaning into Reform’s policies is not just bad politics, it’s bad policy. This could be hugely damaging to the NHS, care sector higher education and so many different parts of the Scottish economy. There is no one size fits all model for the UK.

Why this week’s twin anniversaries of VE & Europe Day are so important across the continent & what they tell us about challenges to come - www.scotsman.com/news/opinion...