Category: Scotland

Scotland’s Eccentric Isle of Eigg

“If you’re going to get sick, be sure it’s on a Wednesday,” my Isle of Eigg tour guide/driver Brian Greene said. “That’s the day the doctor arrives by ferry from Skye.” Greene was filling in for Charlie Galli, this Scottish island’s usual taxi driver (and only source of public transportation), who was stuck on the…


Scottish Nationalists Vow New Independence Vote From UK After Election Success

GLASGOW, Scotland—Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon vowed on Saturday to press ahead with plans for a new referendum on leaving the United Kingdom after saying there was no doubt elections to the Scottish parliament would return a pro-independence majority. In a rebuke to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson who has said he would block a…


Boris Johnson Says ‘Not the Time’ for New Scottish Independence Vote

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Wednesday that this is “not the time” for a second referendum on Scottish independence, but Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said a new vote cannot be stopped if Thursday’s local elections produce a pro-referendum majority in the Scottish Parliament. Johnson said, “I think most people in Scotland, most…


UK’s Johnson: ‘Not the Time’ for New Scottish Independence Vote

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Wednesday that this is “not the time” for a second referendum on Scottish independence, but Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said a new vote cannot be stopped if Thursday’s local elections produce a pro-referendum majority in the Scottish Parliament. Johnson said, “I think most people in Scotland, most…


Scottish Nationalists Unlikely to Win a Majority, Poll Indicates

LONDON—Scotland’s main pro-independence party is unlikely to win an outright majority in Thursday’s parliamentary election, a blow to its hopes of demanding a referendum on separating from the United Kingdom, a Savanta Comres/The Scotsman poll indicated. The Scottish National Party (SNP) wants a majority in the devolved parliament to demand another referendum, although British Prime…


Scottish Party Leaders Make Their Final Pitches to Voters in TV Debate

Scotland’s political leaders clashed again over the constitution in the final TV debate of the Scottish Parliamentary election. The exchanges between SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon and her main rivals took place less than 36 hours before voters start to go to the polls. The TV showdown, broadcast on BBC Scotland, saw the leaders of the…


UK Government Spends 30 Percent More on Scots Than English: Report

For every pound the UK government earmarks for the English, according to an economic think tank, it gives the Scottish an extra 30 pence. The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) report says that almost all of the 30 percent gap is down to the controversial Barnett formula. That formula is a fixed way of divvying…


Scotland’s Salmond Launches Rival Pro-Independence Party

LONDON —Former Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond launched a new pro-independence party on Friday to run in May’s parliamentary election, a move that could splinter the separatist vote by grabbing support away from Nicola Sturgeon, his protege turned foe. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has repeatedly rejected calls for a fresh vote on Scottish independence…


UK Government Opens New Offices in Scotland in Effort to Shore Up Union

LONDON—Britain’s cabinet office will set up a “second flagship HQ” in Glasgow as the government plans to move some of its operations to Scotland, ministers announced on March 15, at a time when support for Scottish independence is running high. Ties between Scotland and the rest of Britain have been badly strained by a much-criticised…


Scotland Passes Hate Crime Law Amid Free Speech Concerns

The Scottish Parliament has passed a controversial bill on so-called hate crimes despite concerns about its impact on freedom of speech. The bill was passed on Thursday by 82 votes to 32. It was supported by the Scottish National Party (SNP), Labour, and the Liberal Democrats. Only the Scottish Conservatives voted against it. Scotland’s regional…