Columnists

Stock image: Getty

Our picture book view of farming is a long way from reality Philip Lymbery

A photograph of John Healey stood at the dispatch box of the House of Commons with MPs behind him

Why Labour Budget will be met with a shrug by rural Scotland Alistair Carmichael

America is changing: Here's why Scotland should care Donald Maynard

Alexis Graham is a Partner, Private Wealth and Tax, Shepherd and Wedderburn.

‘Testamentary freedom’ is not as ‘free’ as you might think in Scotland

Jackdaw

It is a contradiction but Jackdaw and Rosebank matter to net zero Ewan Aitken

The BBC is worth defending. Scotland has much to lose if we forget it Stephen Kerr

Chancellor of the Exchequer John Healey

Budget 2026: Healey looks into the storm - and steps back inside Alan Young

Scotland’s defence must deliver security, skills and jobs for young Jackie Baillie

Prime Minister Andy Burnham (right) meeting with Chancellor John Healey at No11 Downing Street. PIC: Alberto Pezzali/Press Association

Going all out for growth is the only option Alan Young

Rachel Reeves with John Healey

Healey’s Budget cannot repeat the mistakes of Rachel Reeves Murdo Fraser

The Lanark Blue cheese course at Inver in October 2026

I had a stunning dinner at Inver on Loch Fyne

Andy Burnham and John Healey

Why a do little budget puts our country in peril Brian Monteith

SNP must stop thin blue line getting thinner still Alan Young

Scotland needs community police back , and SNP must come up with cash Tom Wood

Chancellor of the Exchequer John Healey

Let's hope for a Budget which delivers real help - and no pasty tax Christine Jardine

Normal People author Sally Rooney will no longer be able to sell her books in the UK

Sally Rooney and the hypocrisy of the literary free speech brigade Jenny Lindsay

Douglas McConnell points to a movement away from the traditional emphasis on testing evidence in open court

Are the scales of justice still balanced in Scotland?

Here's why nothing should be off table with EU talks Alan Young

Scotland's oil has turned into John Swinney's embarrassment Euan McColm

Lady Shep-En-Hor's sarcophagus at The Hunterian Museum. Picture: Wikimedia Commons

Why the mummies should not be on show in the first place

How we must prepare Scottish farming for a hotter world Iain Boyd

Be careful what you wish for on proportional representation John McLellan

Burnham should seize the moment and approve Rosebank Brian Wilson

Experienced teachers are quitting or reducing their hours - here's why Moira Hulme

The students at Malomo CDSS supported by the McConnell International Foundation

The power of Malawi’s women is a force for the future Susan Dalgety

There should be extra jail time for those who refuse to face justice Stephen Jardine

Nami Surgical co-founders Nico Fenu and Rebecca Cleary at Clydebank’s Golden Jubilee Hospital (Picture: Stewart Attwood)

Scotland’s new healthcare innovators aim to go global

Scottish soldiers have played a part in some of history's most decisive moments. Picture: Jeff J Mitchell

Why Scotland has consistently punched above its weight in wars Iain MacGregor

I didn't expect to feel so spooked in my lovely new Edinburgh home

Imports of liquefied natural gas from distant countries come at a much higher carbon cost. Picture: Yuichi Yamazaki

Jackdaw consent is right call but UK must work to cut demand for gas Alistair Carmichael

This data centre in Texas shows how enormous they can be. Picture: Brandon Bell

Why Scotland shouldn't let data centres become a national pariah Scotsman comment

The Scottish government is working to build public trust and confidence in artificial intelligence. Picture: Hector Retamal

Scotland can't be so afraid of AI that it loses £23 billion GDP boost Alyn Smith

Inverurie has been named Scotland’s Town of the Year 2026

How Inverurie can spark a fightback against urban decline Scotsman comment

Crisps are among the food and drinks covered by the new restrictions in Scotland (Picture: stock.adobe.com)

Retailers need to comply with new food restrictions

A car ablaze during demonstrations in Paris at the weekend

We should learn from the French rather than follow in their footsteps Paul Wilson

Experts worry that artificial intelligence is blurring the boundaries between reality and fiction, handing cybercriminals a cheap and effective technology to exploit. Picture: Chris Delmas

That desperate call from your daughter may have been AI cybercriminal Ronald Hepburn

People protest outside the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero in London over the UK government's decision to approve the Jackdaw gas field. Picture: Brook Mitchell

Why Labour's Jackdaw gas field decision is not climate vandalism Scotsman comment

The more electric cars in the UK, the lower the demand for petrol, and therefore the price, should be. Picture: Adrian Dennis

Why are drivers being paid £7.6 billion to buy petrol cars? Matt Galvin

Labour's approval of the Jackdaw gas field is a welcome step, but the North Sea energy industry needs John Healey and Andy Burnham to take a few more. Picture: Ian Forsyth

After Jackdaw approval, Labour must now seize £50bn North Sea prize David Whitehouse

The closure of the Grangemouth oil refinery was a blow to the economy, but new opportunities are emerging. Picture: Jeff J Mitchell

Why an industrial renaissance is within Scotland's grasp Professor Simon Best

John Healey’s first Budget will be a key indication of the Burnham premiership’s direction (Picture: Betty Laura Zapata/PA Wire)

John Healey needs to find some carrots for housing sector

Debate Night, hosted by Stephen Jardine, is moving to BBC One Scotland and will also be available online. Picture: Jeff J Mitchell

Why closure of BBC Scotland channel was sad but inevitable Stephen Jardine

The Beyond the Startup podcast will focus on how Scotland can build more globally successful tech companies (Picture: stock.adobe.com)

A podcast to match the ambition of our subjects

The Port of Aberdeen was transformed by the oil and gas industry. Now the potential to service floating offshore windfarms represents a substantial opportunity but only if the UK government makes the right choices

How UK energy plan could put thousands of North Sea jobs at risk Bob Sanguinetti

Nearly half of the deaths from Covid in Scotland happened in care homes. Picture: Hugh Hastings

Covid Inquiry's 'painful' finding about care homes should shock us all Scotsman comment

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage is arguably the individual most responsible for Brexit, but that's not the worst thing he has done, says Ian Johnston. Picture: Carl Court

How Farage is doubling-down on one of the worst things he's ever done Ian Johnston

Andy Burnham speaks to a student during a visit to New College Lanarkshire's Motherwell Campus ahead of a speech focusing on the forming of closer ties with the Scottish government. Picture: Jeff J Mitchell

Why SNP needs to stop hoarding power and give it to the people Jackie Baillie

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch told ministers the UK needed to 'live within our means' during a pre-Budget speech at the Institution of Civil Engineers in London. Picture: Alishia Abodunde

Kemi Badenoch reminds Gen Z what politics is supposed to be about Scotsman comment

Clootie dumpling

How new technology is saving old recipes

Inventor Sir James Dyson, founder of Dyson, takes to the stage in Paris last month to unveil the new Dyson CameraJet toothbrush. Picture: Doug Peters Media Assignments

Scotland must not get left behind as new education revolution looms Scotsman comment

Not all children have loving parents who will look after them and ensure they have a decent start in life. Picture: Evening Standard/Hulton Archive

Here's the horror show that ITV's 7 Up could have been Karyn McCluskey

John Swinney in the driver's seat of a First Bus at a trade stand at the SNP party conference in Aberdeen. Picture: Paul Reid

SNP's vision of Scotland is based on bad history as new book reveals Brian Monteith

In the garden at Fair Isle Primary School

Looking to 'get away from it all'? Why Fair Isle could be for you Scotsman comment

Author JK Rowling

JK Rowling, Rod Liddle and the complex nature of 'legacy' Jenny Lindsay

Suffragette leader Sylvia Pankhurst, seen in 1921 shortly after she had been released from prison, is toasted at a celebration breakfast in East London. Picture: Topical Press Agency

A century on, why Pankhurst's fight for women's rights is not over Christine Jardine

Adrian Murphy, CEO of Murphy Wealth

Chancellor right to rule out changes to capital gains tax

Thomas Mitchell is a Partner, RTA LAW LLP (Picture: David Ho & Sandie Knudsen)

Still a long way to go on motorcycling fatalities

Stuart Clubb is a partner at Shoosmiths Scotland specialising in insolvency and restructuring.

With insolvency cases, the devil is in the detail

Leaders may find themselves implementing outcomes they trust but cannot fully explain (Picture: stock.adobe.com)

The AI accountabilty gap is a real risk for organisations

All smiles as Donald Trump greets Vladimir Putin in Anchorage, Alaska, ahead of a meeting last year. Picture: Andrew Harnik

Europe must try to make Trump's favours for Putin a US election issue Scotsman comment

Euan McColm's record collection cull brought back memories but it turned out parting with much of it was not such a sorrow. Picture: Mirko Popadic

The vinyl reckoning for Euan McColm

The Scotsman Top Stories

Scotland has failed to meet its latest target for reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, the latest official figures show. Picture: John Giles/PA Wire

Fail: Scotland misses climate target

Pro-independence protesters with Scottish Saltire flags (top) march for Scottish independence. Picture: Andy Buchanan/AFP via Getty Images

Yousaf: Growing popular support for Yes the only way to Scottish independence

Nadine Dorries. Picture: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

SNP MP cleared of bullying Nadine Dorries