Chris Muir

Official figures reveal a deeper fiscal gap, with oil and gas income down for a second year and higher per-capita spending than the UK average. Deficit Hits £26.2 Billion in 2024-25 Scotland’s public spending deficit has risen sharply, climbing from £21.4 billion to £26.2 billion over the last financial year, according to the latest Government Expenditure and Revenue Scotland (GERS) report. The figures show a widening gap between the taxes raised in Scotland and the amount spent on public services and benefits for its residents. That translates to £21,192 spent per person — almost £2,700 more than the UK-wide average…

Scotland woke up to sweltering heat and an urgent double weather alert on Thursday, with the Met Office warning of thunderstorms capable of dumping dangerous amounts of rain in a very short time. The national forecaster says some spots could be lashed by as much as 60mm of rain in an hour — the kind of intense downpour that turns streets into rivers and brings travel to a standstill. Storm Risk Spreads Across the Country This isn’t a localised pocket of bad weather. From the Borders to the Highlands, the yellow thunderstorm warning stretches across the map. The alerts came…

Forty years ago, Crawford Beveridge returned from California—a place then brimming with start-up energy—to take the helm of the newly formed Scottish Enterprise. He inherited a nation struggling with a simple but critical problem: a lack of companies. “We in Scotland have been aware that as a nation we seem to have lost some of that entrepreneurial drive,” Beveridge said. His assessment triggered a landmark national inquiry into why Scotland’s business birthrate lagged. The resulting 1991 Business Birthrate Enquiry and the 1993 Business Birthrate Strategy became global talking points, studied by the OECD and copied abroad. The vision then was…

Edinburgh – Scotland’s stroke care system is under growing scrutiny after fresh data revealed that only about half of patients last year received the critical package of treatment needed to give them the best chance of survival and recovery. The findings, published by Public Health Scotland (PHS), show that just 52.9% of the 11,341 Scots diagnosed with a stroke in 2024 were provided with the “stroke care bundle” – a set of rapid, evidence-based interventions designed to reduce disability and save lives. That figure falls far short of the Scottish Government’s own 80% target, which has now been missed for…

Nicholas Rossi’s life story reads like a plot stolen from a paperback thriller—complete with a fake name, international pursuit, and an unmasking in a Scottish hospital ward. Now, the man once calling himself “Arthur Knight” is preparing to stand trial in Utah on a rape charge. When I first met him, it was in the genteel surroundings of Glasgow’s West End, a place of leafy streets and understated cafés. He wore the persona of a flustered British aristocrat, complete with a wandering accent and a theatrical air. But there were cracks in the performance, and they showed quickly. The First…

A large blaze tore through Arthur’s Seat on Sunday, sending smoke over Edinburgh’s skyline and prompting warnings for the public to stay away from one of Scotland’s most-visited landmarks. Smoke Over the City Arthur’s Seat isn’t just a hill—it’s the extinct volcano that dominates the city’s horizon. At about 250 metres high, it offers panoramic views stretching from Edinburgh Castle to the Firth of Forth. On Sunday, however, those views were obscured by thick smoke as flames spread across its slopes. The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service confirmed crews were at the scene tackling the blaze in Holyrood Park. Police…

A lightning bolt splitting a table, a poet emerging from under a silver platter, and a cutlery boat sailing towards the West Indies — this is Robert Burns as you’ve probably never seen him before. A Setting Steeped in History The Georgian House in Edinburgh’s Charlotte Square, with its refined symmetry and 18th-century elegance, might seem an unlikely venue for theatrical experimentation. Yet, under Cora Bissett’s direction, its Robert Adam-designed interiors have been transformed into a living, breathing stage for The Burns Project. Audience members don’t just watch; they share a table with Scotland’s national bard, here played by James…

Scotland’s biggest celebration of independent brewing is back in September, pouring pride into every pint — and not a faux-craft label in sight. No Multinationals, No Pretenders — Just Independent Scottish Beer The smell of hops, the sound of clinking glasses, and the unmistakable buzz of beer nerds and casual pint-lovers alike — Indie Beer Scotland is back. Set to take over the Clyde Rooms at Edmiston House in Glasgow on the 5th and 6th of September, the festival is promising exactly what its name suggests: 100% indie beer, 100% Scottish. And that’s not just a marketing gimmick. The event…

‘Not Enough Officers’: Mounting Workloads Drive Up Police Overtime Costs Scotland’s overstretched police force is racking up an eye-watering £85,000 a day in overtime payments, according to newly published figures that lay bare the growing strain on frontline services. The data, revealed by 1919 Magazine, shows Police Scotland spent £28.15 million on officer overtime in 2024/25, with an additional £3.4 million allocated for other staff—a 10% increase on the previous year. While the total is lower than the exceptional spending levels of 2022/23—when policing surged following the death of Queen Elizabeth II—the trend still paints a picture of a service…

Scotland has approved what could become one of the world’s largest offshore wind farms, giving the green light to the long-anticipated Berwick Bank Wind Farm, a major leap in the UK’s push for net zero and energy independence. The sprawling offshore site, to be developed by SSE Renewables, will sit approximately 38km off the Scottish Borders coast near St Abbs, with an expected generation capacity of 4.1 gigawatts (GW) — enough, using current technology, to power every household in Scotland more than twice over. A green light—but with environmental strings attached While the approval marks a significant boost for Scotland’s…