Category: scotland

Conservation, scotland

Lies, Legerdemain, and Lynx

BY BERT BURNETT This recent article Scotland: The Big Picture (SBP), which uses Slovenia as a model for potential lynx reintroduction in Scotland, is a textbook case of advocacy masquerading as objective analysis. It presents a seductive but profoundly misleading comparison, one that exemplifies a growing concern: you simply cannot trust these narratives when they peddle a partial story, economically with the truth to suit … Continue reading Lies, Legerdemain, and Lynx

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countryside, scotland

The Carbon Credit Con and Scotland’s New Mega-Lairds

BY BERT BURNETT A spectre is haunting the Highlands—and it is not the ghost of rebellions past. It is the sleek, corporate spectre of the ‘mega-laird’, armed not with claymores but with spreadsheets, investment portfolios, and a publicly-stated aim to “save the world”. As highlighted in a recent opinion piece by Dr. Josh Doble, these entities—billionaires, asset managers, and firms like Exeter-based Oxygen Conservation—are acquiring … Continue reading The Carbon Credit Con and Scotland’s New Mega-Lairds

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countryside, scotland

The Scottish Paradox: Vermin Here, Vanguards There

BY SIMON MACFAUL It’s a story that perfectly captures the cognitive dissonance at the heart of modern Scottish conservation. Across Europe, from the sun-drenched forests of Spain to the scrublands of Portugal, a quiet, antlered revolution is underway. Conservationists are strategically releasing herds of deer into vulnerable landscapes. Why? Because these animals, through their careful browsing, naturally reduce the dense, dry undergrowth that acts as … Continue reading The Scottish Paradox: Vermin Here, Vanguards There

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scotland

The Royal Scots Club

BY ROGER WATSON Just a ten-minute walk from the noise and tourists on Princes Street, on the fringes of Edinburgh’s New Town, sits a haven of tranquillity steeped in military history: The Royal Scots Club. I was introduced by a former military colleague and have been a lucky member for several years. Though I live a long way from Edinburgh, the Club has become my … Continue reading The Royal Scots Club

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countryside, scotland

Wildfires in Moray: Lessons Learnt?

BY CALUM CAMPBELL The recent wildfires in Moray have left a trail of destruction, with stories circulating and facts still emerging. What’s clear is that lessons must be learned—and acted upon—to better handle such disasters in the future. While many are more qualified to speak on this, here are my thoughts. How the Fires Started The Coastguard, during an exercise near Carrbridge, fired a flare … Continue reading Wildfires in Moray: Lessons Learnt?

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scotland

The Sound of Silence

BY IAN MITCHELL Angus Martin and the Mull of Kintyre For once I shall abstain from thought about the restless-spirited denizens of the dark side who run this country, both nationally and locally, and concentrate instead on a trilogy which celebrates the beauty of life in one of the few parts of Scotland where outdoor life is still largely free of environmental corruption. That part … Continue reading The Sound of Silence

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scotland, US Politics

James David Vance – Who Is He Really?

The next President of the United States is 78, and has already been shot at once while under secret service protection. He happened to turn his head as the bullet flew past him, which almost certainly saved his life. What if the next assassination attempt is successful? The chances are small but, given American history, not that small. Seven of the 46 presidents to date … Continue reading James David Vance – Who Is He Really?

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Conservation, scotland

Kintyre’s Environmental Vandals

BY IAN MITCHELL Kintyre, a region renowned for its stunning natural landscapes, is facing a significant threat from the expansion of wind farms, some towering as high as an eighth of a mile. This rapid development, perceived by many as environmental vandalism, is being driven by the Scottish government and executed by profit-driven power firms from around the globe. Critics argue that Scotland’s breathtaking beauty … Continue reading Kintyre’s Environmental Vandals

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scotland

“Crisis”

BY HAMISH GOBSON Climate change and the political utility of a “Crisis” Anyone who has followed the development of the windfarm industry in Scotland will have been struck by the effort which the Scottish government puts into further impoverishing both underprivileged city dwellers and all rural ones. The former suffer from artificially high power costs, and the latter from that plus the desecration of their visual environment … Continue reading “Crisis”

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scotland

Salmond Created the SNP’s Failure

BY EFFIE DEANS For the past week nothing of any worth has been written about Alex Salmond. De mortuis nil nisi bonum is a maxim that applies even to Nicola Sturgeon, but if it applies even to your greatest enemy it makes for very dull reading. But the problem with Alex Salmond is that there is already too much mystery without adding yet more statements … Continue reading Salmond Created the SNP’s Failure

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scotland

Did Sturgeon Want a Criminal to Lead an Independent Scotland?

BY EFFIE DEANS During the day of the referendum in September 2014 Alex Salmond (R.I.P) thought Yes had won. Polls and momentum were with the SNP. David Cameron was panicking. We might have woken up to a world where Alex Salmond was the First Minister of an independent Scotland in March 2016. In that case would he have been investigated and eventually charged with sexual … Continue reading Did Sturgeon Want a Criminal to Lead an Independent Scotland?

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scotland

How the SNP Dallied with “Participatory Dictatorship”

BY HAMISH GOBSON As the power of the nationalist wreckers in Holyrood declines, so the prospects for a comparable programme of socialist wrecking in Westminster rise. Many’s the Todday teacup whose soggy leaves have compared Keir Starmer’s greed with that of the seagulls outside the Snorvaig chip shop. My own fronds have been even more outspoken, giving “gannet” whenever the words Reeves and Rayner are … Continue reading How the SNP Dallied with “Participatory Dictatorship”

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scotland

Reviving the SNP Corpse

BY EFFIE DEANS Scottish nationalism was decisively defeated in July 2024 when only 30% of Scottish voters chose to support the SNP and it won nine seats. Alba won 11,000 votes. But there are those who wish to revive the corpse with a form a necromancy called setting the goal posts for a second referendum and turning Scotland into Northern Ireland. The truth however is … Continue reading Reviving the SNP Corpse

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countryside, scotland

Forestry and Woodland Creation Regulation

BY CALUM CAMPBELL Scotland’s forestry and woodland creation schemes are coming under scrutiny, with growing concerns about the harmful impact they are having on already endangered wildlife. This is your chance to push for change in the way these schemes are regulated and implemented, to protect our natural heritage for future generations. A case in point is the Muckrach Estate near Grantown-on-Spey, which recently received … Continue reading Forestry and Woodland Creation Regulation

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scotland

The Scottish Origins of the United Kingdom

BY HAMISH GOBSON Ever since Nicola Sturgeon crashed and burned, and Humza Yousaf promised to emigrate, the question of the Union has gone off the boil in Scotland. The Westminster election earlier this year demonstrated that conclusively. But there are still lunatics in the Holyrood asylum so a study of the Scottish source of the Union idea is welcome. Parochial nationalism gives many people who do not … Continue reading The Scottish Origins of the United Kingdom

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scotland

Does Humza Yousaf know his Islamic History?

BY HAMISH GOBSON Anyone curious about what our failed Scottish First Minister of recent memory, Humza Yousaf, is likely to experience when he leaves Britain for Islamic pastures new would be well advised to read a wonderful book recently published by Princeton University Press called A History of the Muslim World: From its origins to the dawn of modernity. The author is Michael Cook, a British … Continue reading Does Humza Yousaf know his Islamic History?

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scotland

Tories Still Missing the Point

BY EFFIE DEANS The defeat of the SNP has given the Scottish Conservative Party an opportunity, but it seems determined not to take it. For at least the next 5 years and probably for much longer there will be no point debating what Scotland’s national anthem will be after independence. The constitutional issue that has dominated Scottish politics since 2011 will be a non-issue. So, … Continue reading Tories Still Missing the Point

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scotland

The Hinge on which Scottish History Turns

BY EFFIE DEANS It is not accidental that David Davis used parliamentary privilege to name Nicola Sturgeon’s former chief of staff Liz Lloyd as the source of the leak to the Daily Record about allegations against Alex Salmond. It is not accidental that he used parliamentary privilege, so the rest of us who are not in parliament must be careful. It is also not accidental … Continue reading The Hinge on which Scottish History Turns

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