'For Cole-Hamilton, Scotland has all the modern political relevance of Sumer or Etruria, extinct ancient polities which it serves no purpose to resuscitate. The difference of course is that Scotland has never ceased to exist.' weegingerdug

'No one wants moderates. It's a weird fringe position held by a small fraction of the public, but is dominant among the elite and most of the politicians, so it is all we get. A crisis in democracy? Is that even democracy any more?' Robin McAlpine, via Common weal

'Put simply, the evidence that outsourcing is good for the public is sparse, but the evidence it is costly and harmful is more extensive.' Common Weal, via The National archive.is/SeCNW

'The oligarchs are not just a class enemy but, as they have always been, a societal enemy: a few thousand people can destroy civilisations. It’s the billions v the billionaires, and the stakes could not possibly be higher.' George Monbiot, via The Guardian

This week's #FullScottish is available to watch on catch-up now.

'The Union is in peril, and the tactics of Scare and Smear, Deep Denial and Flood the Zone are only hastening its demise.' Mike Small, via Bella Caledonia bellacaledonia.org.u...

'it’s great news that the Celtic nations will collaborate... The prospect of that awkward squad in one room is delicious.' Lesley Riddoch, via The National archive.is/b2mei

Interesting podcast featuring Richard Murphy in discussion about the consequences of the current war in the Middle East and "societal resilience in a wartime economy".

'Remilitarisation is the order of the day - and the public is being made to pay.' Coll McCail of Stop The War, via The National archive.is/HpARQ

'Hubris, sense of superiority and an impatience with how other peoples and cultures think and might respond when challenged or coerced. This has been America’s mistake in the past and is yet again in its war with Iran.' David Pratt, via The National archive.is/VKVnS

'Parties divided among themselves do not inspire confidence in the electorate. Labour’s internal divisions are an open, gaping wound which will not heal before Scotland goes to the polls in just under two weeks.' weegingerdug, via The National archive.is/UD8eJ

'Starmerism has always been defined by its deceit and handing out of factional spoils... But it was fine when the left were the victims, yet now that distinguished civil servants are being sacrificed, things are rather different.' Owen Jones, via The National archive.is/5yqaj

'The Gleneagles display on Robert the Bruce is unionist drivel.' Neil Mackay, via The Herald archive.is/NMH1R

'As latest polls suggest the SNP falling short of a majority – as they should on 35% in a proportional system – betting everything on a repeat of 2011 increasingly looks like a potentially paralysing blunder for the independence cause.' Xander Elliards, via The National archive.is/KJxxX

Full exclusive interview with Zack Polanski on The National Podcast www.thenational.scot/politics/260...

'Far-right politics has been sane-washed and normalised, and one of the reasons is our media institutions aren’t fit for purpose. We’ll need to fund the alternative as we resist the creeping influence of people like Malcolm Offord.' Mike Small, via Bella Caledonia bellacaledonia.org.u...

'What we actually need is a statutory minimum service level for every lifeline route. A legal floor below which the ­service cannot fall without triggering emergency provision, be that a charter, a flight, or a freight barge'. Rhoda Meek, via The National archive.is/b8uIx

Newsroom coming together.

'We’re all, quite literally, inside the “walled gardens” of tech firms from the moment we wake up to the moment we go to sleep – and, in many cases, even while we’re sleeping.' Matt Gallagher, via Byline Times

'What passes for the left today in Scotland is in a state of flux and recalibration. It’s not yet clear what organisation or party form it could take.' Gregor Gall, via The National archive.is/kdTAd

'War reduces the time we have globally to transition away from fossil fuels, to preserve the planetary life support system. Yet fossil fuel companies are exploiting these crises to push for further extraction.' Kate Whitaker, Friends of the Earth Scotland, via The National archive.is/AEswj

'If the world is moving further away from rule-governed stability, the real challenge for the EU is understanding what parts of that model can survive when the external assumptions it was built on no longer hold.' Megan Davidson, via Common Weal

'As the world becomes more violent, are war crimes becoming normalised as a means of military force? And not just by armed non-state actors, but by nation states too.' Robert Swift, via The National archive.is/7ZEWw

Congratulations to Jennie Murray, elected at last night's AGM as our President for 2026-27, and thanks to outgoing President Bob Ballard for his leadership over the last two years. Here's Jennie receiving the Presidential gavel from Bob. All the best to her for a momentous 50th anniversary year!

'The best way to fight corruption is to prevent its occurrence and fight its spread. We achieve that by vigilant, vocal action against the forces that contradict democracy’s purpose: governments and politicians serve citizens—not themselves.' Freya Cordell, via Common Weal

'All that we are witnessing is a straightforward conflict of interest between the desire of people who would wish that politics serve them, and the desire of politicians who think their obligations lie elsewhere.' Richard Murphy

New Lesley Riddoch podcast with Fraser Thompson. Anas Sarwar and Malcolm Offord - was Labour anger over unionist pact allegation just performative? Will Olly Robbins bring down Keir Starmer over Mandelson vetting? What’s wrong with 70s style price caps on food?

'Why shouldn’t governments seek to control food prices, especially when inflation threatens to run rampant? Being able to afford food is at least as important as paying the electricity bill, and who opposes a statutory price cap on that? ' Tommy Sheppard, via The National archive.is/6DVZB

'The far-right has a strategy. It is not chaos by accident. It is chaos by design. Disorder is their desire. Crisis creates their opportunity... And it has been working, not because the far-right is powerful, but because too few are stopping it.' Richard Murphy

'It's absurd to assume that public protection can be achieved through suppression of the public’s freedoms. Yet Westminster continues to do just that. It stinks of an institution which is terrified of the collective power of the people.' Lara Bird-Leakey, via The National archive.is/XHI56

'This crisis is probably real, will probably be brutal and will probably create greater calls for change than any I've seen. But the crucial moment probably isn't this year or next. When it comes, a solid alternative idea must be on the table.' Robin McAlpine, via Common Weal

'The British Government has not chosen to explain the specific reasons why Ming-Yang is uniquely dangerous to British security, save that it is an infrastructure threat. The Scottish Government has not, apparently been informed.' John S Warren, via Bella Caledonia bellacaledonia.org.u...

'If Scotland had control over its own immigration policy, we could put in place a system which would have human rights and justice at its heart rather than a plethora of conflicting rules that are a nightmare to navigate.' Richard Walker, via The National

'What if Trump is so irked by all the TACO crowing by his critics, that one day he decides not to back down from one of his most preposterous declarations? How bad does it have to get, before enough Americans wake up?' Alex Hall Hall, via Byline Times

'The gap between the Scottish electorate and the Scottish commentariat is now a chasm, and it’s mind-defying that it’s even possible that we challenge the orthodoxy of the political message we are bombarded with from every side very single day.' Mike Small via Bella Caledonia bellacaledonia.org.u...

'Security is the one thing that Sudan does not have. What’s more, this isn’t just a result of an abject failure in international peacekeeping, but because outside players are hell-bent on sustaining and escalating the conflict.' David Pratt, via The National archive.is/RISGh

The cost of Aviation Fuel has increased by 270% since Feb, and airlines are dropping flights as a result 🇬🇧 Labour gave an election promise to “SAVE GRANGEMOUTH”, Scotland’s only oil refinery and producer of Aviation Fuel, then let it close 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Are you YES yet ? thehighlandtimes.com/sarwar-admit...

'Support for independence is not formed in isolation from the cost of living, housing or public services. It is shaped by them – by the experience of rising costs, stretched services and limited room for change.' Assa Samaké-Roman , via The National archive.is/vsJ69

'No step is too far, no bar is too low, for the careerist and ambitious Sarwar, who knows he’s blown up his chances of a peerage after his ill fated attempt to force Starmer to resign.' weegingerdug

' Even if negotiations succeed with Iran, Trump is likely to lash out elsewhere. As a result, “shoot first talk later” is in danger of becoming standard practice everywhere.' Chris Nineham of Stop the War, via The National archive.is/TbGRy

'It is difficult to convince people that they have the power and agency to bring about change when they can’t see any evidence for this potential in their daily lives.' Jonathon Shafi, via The National archive.is/1UHiH

'We are on the verge of a vote that is critical for Scotland’s cause and for every aspect of life in our nation, yet it appears that the nation is responding with a massive communal shrug.' Peter A Bell

'Nothing is simple when it comes to our relationship with nature. Online, those of us telling our stories are being held to an expectation that is frankly delusional. Even baseline welfare standards are getting stricter by the year.' Rhoda Meek, via The National archive.is/f9RuW

'In ­political terms, “more jail for more ­people for longer” is about the only policy which is never called upon to justify ­itself in public debate – in terms of either its ­social outcomes, or its costs. That ­impunity must end.' PeatWorrier, via The National archive.is/ZdpPN

'The Hungarian election result is also a major blow to the networks of dark-money that has flooded the far-right in Britain, including arch-Unionists such as Nigel Biggar and Douglas Murray.' Mike Small, via Bella Caledonia bellacaledonia.org.u...

'Magyar promised voters that after 16 years of autocratic governance and the erosion of the rule of law, he'll root out corruption and create a “peaceful, functioning and humane” Hungary. What those changes will look like remains to be seen.' George Gaynor, via The National archive.is/d60qd

'To suggest we are heading for a period of economic chaos is not to be sensational, but to be realistic. Without a miracle (and I do not really believe in miracles, least of all those performed by Donald Trump), that disruption is now inevitable.' Richard Murphy

'We Scots find ourselves still in the extraordinary position that slightly over fifty percent of us (according to most recent polls) hold views that are almost entirely unrepresented in the mainstream media.' Jamie Jauncey, via 'Don Roberto and Me'

New podcast from Lesley Riddoch and Fraser Thompson. Trump's self-portrayal as 'healer of men', and the Pope taking a stand against the destruction of civilization. Also the first Holyrood leaders' debate, Wes Streeting's contemptuous sniffiness, and much more.

'The reality is that we are very likely to need food rationing and price controls this year to ensure the supply of essential items to everyone in the UK.' Richard Murphy