Iain Roberts' Blog

First, a disclaimer: I've had a rotten cold all week, and I'm writing after a long day of work, childcare, and driving through the g...

This week, Nicola Sturgeon published a draft bill to authorise a second Scottish independence referendum. That's a long way from commit...

Last week was a significant one for Scotland. Thursday 24 March was the prospective date for Scottish independence, if the 2014 referendum ...

The SNP has just released a party political broadcast which may be the ultimate example of its kind. It is entitled "A Tale of Two Citi...

Last week, the SNP government in Edinburgh announced it would ban genetically modified crops in Scotland. The European Union already has st...

Reflecting on yesterday's post , the interests of the English left and Scottish nationalists are in conflict at a very basic level. ...

A friend recently posed this question: Why is it that the English left is so comfortable with the independence of everywhere from Austra...

Charles Kennedy, former leader of the Liberal Democrats, passed away on Monday. He was an exceptionally decent, principled and humane polit...

Political parties like to pretend they own votes, but they don't. The SNP proved that on election night. The first-past-the-post elect...

For your edification and amusement, some of my Twitter activity from the long dark night of the election is below the fold. Shockingly enoug...

I'm writing this around midnight on election night, as the results begin to come in and we digest that shocking exit poll: State of ...

In Part 1 and Part 2 , I looked at reasons not to panic over the rise of the SNP. The UK political classes seem determined to panic anyway....

( Part 1 of this series looked at reactions to the SNP's likely victory in the general election, and reasons why it will not be as cata...

The UK political classes claim an SNP victory in the general election would have cataclysmic results. There are not many points of agreeme...

Earlier this month, someone vandalised the Conservative and Labour party offices in Aberdeen . I assumed it was the work of a random bampot...

The Daily Telegraph has published  a leaked civil service memo ; it recounts a conversation between SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon and the Frenc...

This week, Alex Salmond announced the SNP would vote against a minority Conservative government, if David Cameron attempts to form one afte...

My recent post Nut Meets Sledgehammer looked at the case of Ross Loraine, a resident of Sunderland who was cautioned by police for an offen...

The Scottish Labour Party is in deep trouble. Many of the reasons are obvious, but I will explore a less obvious one. The facts are well k...

Last month, a 19-year-old resident of Sunderland was cautioned by the police for making an offensive remark on Twitter. How can this possibl...