Drumlanrig: Keeping SNP troops in line? Nae bother
The SNP leadership is nothing if not a wee bit cocky. At the height of the SNP’s hellish few days last week, Alex Salmond took the unusual step of making a personal appearance at the group meeting of...
View ArticleLeaders: A degree of doubt
ONE of the obvious benefits of a body like the Scottish Qualifications Authority is that it renders irrelevant a future employer’s prejudice about whether you went to a “good” or “bad” school. What...
View ArticleDani Garavelli: Frank debate the only way to negotiate web of deceit
IT CAME as a real shock when I discovered a child my son’s age – he was 12 at the time – could use a laptop to surf for porn.I’m not suggesting that he ever has, but one day, through a confluence of...
View ArticleGerald Warner: Death by mortar in the most dangerous place on Earth
‘JUST stand on the chalk mark, minister... A teeny bit to the right... That’s it... OK, lads, fire... Bull’s eye! Right on target... Give that mortar gunner eight extra grains of rice tonight...”...
View ArticleAileen Campbell: Time to recognise the importance of fathers
YESTERDAY, in my role as Scotland’s Children’s Minister, I had the pleasure of opening a new playgroup in Edinburgh. This though, is a playgroup with a slight difference. A playgroup primarily for dads...
View ArticleEuan McColm: Salmond both a formidable asset and the greatest challenge to...
AS CALLS from political spin doctors go, it was unique. Where usually these whispering messengers tell stories of the brilliance of their owners, this was an entirely different conversation.Here was a...
View ArticleAndrew Wilson: A ‘yes can-do’ attitude would raise the level of independence...
THERE’S a very amusing scene in Yes Minister’s first series, from 1980, where Jim Hacker runs into the former minister for administrative affairs, Tom Sergeant, who talks through the techniques used by...
View ArticleAttack of the drones to fight tree rot in Scotland
DRONES more commonly associated with the war on terror are to patrol the skies over Scotland in a bid to eradicate diseases that threaten to wipe out swathes of forest.The unmanned planes are smaller...
View ArticleBilly lands the big yin: Connolly to receive lifetime Bafta
AFTER six decades in showbusiness Billy Connolly, Scotland’s most famous former welder, is to be honoured with a lifetime achievement award.The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (Bafta) in...
View ArticleBorders Railway costs up another £50m
THE cost of the Borders Railway is expected to rise by another £50 million this week when a key contract is signed to begin its long-awaited construction.Sources close to the project said it is now...
View ArticleINSIDE
Rising tide of premiumsHomeowners face a surge in household insurance as the cost of recent flooding means that premiums are facing steep rises p Jeff Salway on the risks inherent in self-invested...
View ArticleEquity prices rises see world stock markets hit a five-year high
World stock markets have hit a five-year high following equity prices increases over the past year, with Thailand posting the biggest returns. A benchmark report tracking share movements in 39...
View ArticleMost still believe housing market recovery unlikely
Optimism over the housing market outlook remains thin on the ground in Scotland, despite increased expectations of a house price rebound.Fewer Scots than a year ago expect house prices to continue...
View ArticleMoney helpdesk: Registration hitch means seller can’t advertise items on eBay
NEW television advertising for eBay suggests it makes it easy for people to sell unwanted items and also to buy second-hand and discounted items online. However, one of our readers became frustrated...
View ArticleJeff Salway: Sipps can leave a bad taste in the mouth for many investors
IF YOU’VE entrusted your pension savings to richly- rewarded money managers only to find their performance bears little relation to their pay, you’d be forgiven for thinking you may as well do it...
View ArticleClaire Smith: Birthday bash with a difference at Harvey Nicks
STRANGE scenes inside the department store as Harvey Nichols threw an eccentric celebration to mark ten years in Edinburgh.Chief executive Joseph Wan flew in from Hong Kong and said the Edinburgh...
View ArticlePensions cash plan for housing
A PLAN which would use council pension funds to create investment in housing and construction has been unveiled by a group of business leaders.The study says 300,000 extra homes could be built if local...
View ArticleTop ten tips on making your hard-earned cash go further
CLYDESDALE Bank carries out regular surveys of customer spending habits to work out how we handle our money.Given the current squeeze on consumer spending, the bank’s researchers have also been looking...
View ArticlePrice of homes cover set to soar as insurers count cost of recent flooding
The cost of insuring homes in Scotland could climb sharply over the coming years as the increased risk of flooding drives up premiums, insurers have warned.Home insurance premiums have risen over the...
View ArticleOfgem moves to get a better energy deal for small firms
AS ENERGY company EDF becomes the latest to increase its prices, the energy regulator says it will be looking at ways to protect small businesses from getting tied into confusing contracts.Ofgem says...
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