King has nine months left to atone for his sins

Sunday, 23 September 2012 17:59

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By George Kerevan

SIR Mervyn King is demob happy. In his first live TV interview for a decade, with Channel 4’s Jon Snow, the governor of the Bank of England was happy to criticise the coalition over banking reform, the Treasury over economic policy and Aston Villa for its football.

Sir Mervyn retires next July and clearly feels free to speak his mind (at least, as much as central bankers ever do).

After Cleggmania: Sorry Seems To Be The Easiest Word

Sunday, 23 September 2012 17:56

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By Gerry Hassan, The Scotsman, September 22nd 2012

Is there a future for the Lib Dems? Is there one for Nick Clegg after Cleggmania and after he has become the nation’s favourite whipping boy?

Nick Clegg’s mea culpa this week certainly marks a watershed of some kind coming as it does nearly half way through this Parliament and coalition. It is an attempt by Clegg and the Lib Dems to ‘move on’: a textbook move from the Blair guide on how to do to politics.

A new look at the case of the last man hanged in Scotland

Sunday, 23 September 2012 17:53

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By Kenneth Roy

Lord Tebbit is among the Tory backwoodsmen calling for the restoration of the death penalty following this week’s cold-blooded murders of two young policewomen in Manchester. His lordship is aware of the possibility of irretrievable miscarriages of justice, but feels that juries would take extra care if a man’s life was at stake.

Why We’re Marching

Saturday, 22 September 2012 18:13

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By Mike Small

This is about Raploch not Bannockburn. A reminder – if any was needed of why we need a better Scotland – was brought to us this week by two very different prophets of modern Scotland. As Ian Duncan Smith did the rounds delivering the latest efforts to flog re-heated Thatcherism on behalf of Better Together, Martin Sime of SCVO delivered a damning verdict:

If we want a mature and balanced debate then we will need to demand one

Saturday, 22 September 2012 00:56

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By a Newsnet reporter

Last Wednesday the news in Scotland was dominated by yet another baseless claim from a Unionist leaning commentator.

Iain Duncan Smith became the latest Unionist politician to claim that an independent Scotland would be unable to sustain the services those living in Scotland currently ‘enjoy’ through being part of the Union.