Theoretically, there should be an element of shock in Richard Leonard’s resignation as Scottish Labour leader, so close to a Holyrood election. But nobody seems even remotely surprised.
James Foley
Scotland’s news today is dominated by further lockdown restrictions. The measures may appear marginal: limitations on click and collect deliveries; firmer rules for takeaways; curbs around alcohol. But they are designed to stamp home the message that there is no imminent return to normality.
Source Direct: Lock Me Down
Statistics today from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) further expose the scale of poverty in the UK. They show that, despite interventions such as the furlough scheme, lockdowns are helping push many families “to the brink”.
Source Direct: Hard Times
One of Scotland’s top firms and best-known brand names, with a truly global reach, Celtic has suddenly become a byword for negligence, thanks, above all, to THAT Dubai trip, which may go down among the all-time sporting PR disasters.
Source Direct: Sure it’s a Grand Old Mess
There is a rumbling debate about the timing of a proposed Scottish independence referendum, highlighted by remarks from Labour’s Keir Starmer and the SNP’s John Swinney.
Source Direct: One More Time
Mob violence should be condemned. So should Trump’s role in it. But the deeper question is how such an obviously unfit character not only won in 2016, but almost repeated the trick in 2020.
Source Direct: Anarchy in the USA
Biden doesn’t exactly have a hard act to follow. By many estimations, Trump was the worst American President in history. But what of Biden himself?
Source Direct: Biden Time
Most will respect the gravity of the circumstances and follow the rules. But lockdowns, as everyone has always acknowledged, are an inherently chaotic last resort. For all the rhetoric of national unity, they come with significant costs.
Source Direct: Lockdown Return Highlights Deeper Failings
For the final Source Direct of 2020, I am fulfilling a reader request and considering a dystopian project arising from the Brexiteer faction, the Free Ports scheme announced by the UK Treasury last year. What are Free Ports and what are their implications for Scotland?