Regular writing on Scottish politics and public life. The purpose is to test the positions in The 28 and the Independence Debate against events as they unfold, and to keep the discussion connected to evidence rather than aspiration alone.
Commentary
SNIB’s £137.5 million loss and the incomplete modernisation funding at Ferguson Marine dominated the public record. Ferry services and bluetongue rules continued under constraint. What changed, what did not, and what the powers allow.
Commentary
SNIB recorded a £137.5 million loss driven by realised and unrealised investment write-downs. The First Minister visited Inverclyde after 1,500 cumulative job losses, including planned reductions at Ferguson Marine. Ferry services stabilised on Arran while bluetongue rules continued.
Commentary
An Arran ferry was evacuated after a passenger went overboard and then claimed there was a bomb on board. Police say the threat was not credible. BBC Scotland faces further job cuts and talk of a channel review. The dispute over NHS candour continues.
Commentary
The Scottish Police Federation wants clearer powers to require the removal of face coverings used to hide identity. Inverclyde is trying to grow Greenock’s population through legal migration it does not control.
Commentary
The Scottish Government launched community heart and lung checks in three board areas with £3 million in indicative funding. HMICS published its 2025–26 annual report and proposed live facial recognition. A confirmed BSE case remains under APHA investigation.
Commentary
The fraud-matching exercise, the July inflation print and a double murder designation were the confirmed public acts. Energy bills, council tax discounts and two High Court sentences showed where the money and the harm actually sit.