Scotsman.com - Leader comment Feed

Leaders: Good reasons for demonisation of bankers

Sun, 19 May 2013 23:42:18 GMT

Has the time come to halt the demonisation of bankers? Outgoing Bank of England governor Sir Mervyn King thinks so. His point is not simply that it has gone on long enough and that it is time to move on.

Leaders: Salmond should stand up for free speech

Fri, 17 May 2013 23:18:09 GMT

In A speech he made in March last year, Alex Salmond cited Scotland’s first first minister Donald Dewar who said devolution was about more than our politics and our laws.

Leaders: Health funds remedy in prescription charges

Thu, 16 May 2013 21:02:45 GMT

SCOTLAND’S treatment of cancer patients has been thrown into stark relief by the moving case of 63-year-old Maureen Fleming, a retired secretary from West Dunbartonshire.

Leader: Corporate tax loopholes must be closed

Wed, 15 May 2013 20:20:45 GMT

THE taxman forces the closure of one Scottish business every working day of the year for failure to pay what is due to HM Revenue & Customs. This is just one of many brutal facts thrown up by the recession from which we are struggling to emerge.

Leaders: Cameron’s fear of Ukip causes Scottish waves

Tue, 14 May 2013 20:37:59 GMT

THE referendum in September 2014 will not just be a vote on Scottish independence, it will also be a vote on whether Scotland has a future in the European Union. That, in essence, is what Alex Salmond said yesterday in what could be a landmark moment in the Scottish constitutional debate.

Leaders: Brown is back, but the banter’s no better | Hats off to Hadfield of the ISS

Mon, 13 May 2013 18:54:02 GMT

SINCE he left Number 10 in 2010, Gordon Brown has mostly shunned the political limelight.

Leaders: North Sea oil predictions have to be based on facts | Coal clean-up must continue

Sun, 12 May 2013 20:18:27 GMT

FERGUS Ewing has been a well-regarded minister for energy, tourism and the economy.

Leaders: Banking on change is a forlorn hope

Fri, 10 May 2013 21:30:57 GMT

NO-ONE could possibly disagree with Alex Salmond’s call for a return to the traditional values and probity of Scottish banking.

Leaders: Europe obsession distracting from real task

Fri, 10 May 2013 00:55:20 GMT

News that Eurosceptic Conservative MPs are preparing a revolt on their government’s European policy cannot but trigger a depressing sense of déjà vu. Have the Conservatives not been round this track before – not just once but several times?

Leaders: Queen’s Speech a missed opportunity | Sir Alex Ferguson

Wed, 08 May 2013 20:19:01 GMT

WHEN David Cameron rose in the House of Commons yesterday to speak in the debate on the Queen’s Speech, he claimed his government’s legislative programme for the coming year was designed to boost economic recovery.

Leaders: Tories’ war over Europe clouds deeper issues | We all have a duty of care

Tue, 07 May 2013 19:03:06 GMT

THERE seems to be something about the word “Europe” that produces an almost Pavlovian reaction among Conservative MPs, causing many of their number to start a lemming-like stampede for the nearest cliff-edge.

Leaders: Vaccination a suitable case for treatment

Mon, 06 May 2013 20:27:49 GMT

THE warning from Alan McDevitt, chair of the British Medical Association’s Scottish GPs committee, that doctors may not be able to deliver a new programme of vaccinations without extra help are deeply concerning.

Leaders: Case for an inquiry into autism figures

Mon, 06 May 2013 01:06:48 GMT

WHAT is the explanation for the apparent astonishing surge in the numbers of children in Scottish schools with conditions such as autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and learning difficulties?

Leaders: Westminster cannot brush aside Ukip success | RBS showing welcome healthy signs

Fri, 03 May 2013 19:50:57 GMT

ALL politics is local, said the legendary Bostonian Democrat Congressman Tip O’Neil – and so the local elections, mainly in the rural shires of England, have proved.

Leader: Hall’s guilt prompts more questions of BBC

Thu, 02 May 2013 21:04:32 GMT

TIME does not forget an assault. And when the indecent assault of young girls is involved, it doesn’t completely heal.

Leaders: We must remain focused on Afghanistan campaign | Cable overstepped the mark

Wed, 01 May 2013 20:18:27 GMT

THE death of three more soldiers from a Scottish regiment in the Helmand province of Afghanistan is a tragic reminder of a British military involvement which, although gradually coming to an end, is still confronting our soldiers with daily peril.

Leaders: Sensible move on wind farms has pitfalls

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 20:09:18 GMT

THERE are few subjects more contentious in contemporary Scotland than wind farms. To some they are not only magnificent structures, they are also happy portents of a future where we can rely less on fossil fuels and help control climate change.

Leaders: Miliband must spell out what Labour is for

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 22:48:10 GMT

Why isn’t Ed further ahead? That, in a nutshell, is the question which is being asked about Ed Miliband in relation to his and his Labour Party’s standing in the UK political opinion polls.

Leader: Decline in language learning a concern

Sun, 28 Apr 2013 20:50:16 GMT

A FUNDAMENTAL purpose of education is to prepare young people for the challenges and opportunities of the wider world. As that wider world becomes ever more intermeshed and interdependent, foreign language learning becomes increasingly important.

Leaders: Farmers must play their part to ensure bees thrive | We may be forced to act over Syria

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 19:33:29 GMT

BEES busily buzzing about are one of the delights of spring. Unseasonable cold weather has meant they have not just been late appearing this year, but it has also killed off many colonies.