Herald on Sunday, Sunday National, 14th April 2024. Dry, witty, understated – when Alan Bates sat down at the Post Office Inquiry on Tuesday morning, it was always likely to be a blockbuster session. Bates is the founder of the Justice for Subpostmasters Alliance, architect of the big civil case which exposed the Post Office’s … Continue reading Unmanageable Bates →

Herald on Sunday, Sunday National, 18th February 2024. This term, there’s every likelihood the Scottish Parliament will pass legislation making it a criminal offence to steal people’s pets. If you are a potential cat thief contemplating whether to add schnauzer-rustling to your professional portfolio – this news might make you think again about embarking on … Continue reading A “social policy parliament” rather than an “economic policy parliament”? →

Herald on Sunday, Sunday National, 11th February 2024. I’ll admit it: I’m a connoisseur of the madder corners of the Conservative and Unionist Party. I always have been. I first picked up the taste for observing these peculiar specimens in their natural habitats when I still a teenager. In retrospect, I realise I should have … Continue reading Being a connoisseur of the mad →

Herald on Sunday, Sunday National, 28th January 2024. Are the costs of becoming involved in public life too high? This week, Edinburgh University public health professor Devi Sridhar told the UK Covid-19 inquiry about her experiences over the pandemic. Sridhar needs no introduction. Like Jason Leitch, she became ubiquitous on the nation’s airwaves for months … Continue reading The costs of going public →

Herald on Sunday, Sunday National, 21st January 2024. I’m like a dog with a bone with this story – I know. But it wants forensic attention. On Tuesday this week, the Lord Advocate Dorothy Bain KC spent an uncomfortable hour in Holyrood, answering questions from MSPs about the Post Office Horizon scandal. This is the … Continue reading Duties of revelation →

Herald on Sunday, Sunday National, 14th January 2024. A week on, the Post Office scandal has now entered a defensive phrase of mutual recrimination and blame. In an election year, political parties are chasing credit and trying to dodge responsibility. Because this scandal drags on from the Blair government, through Cameron’s coalition years and into … Continue reading Guilt →

Herald on Sunday, Sunday National, 7th January 2024. The effect has been extraordinary. This week, ITV broadcast Mr Bates vs the Post Office. The four-part drama series, written by Gwyneth Hughes and starring a stalwart cast of British character actors, tells the story of some of the postmasters caught up in the Post Office Horizon … Continue reading Mr Bates vs the Post Office →

Sunday National, Herald on Sunday, 26th November 2023. What exactly is a legal action for “misfeasance in public office”? Why has Alex Salmond decided to raise such a case against the Scottish Government now? Given the legal tests involved, who seems likely to win? And now this case has started, how long will it take to … Continue reading Misfeasance in public office →

Sunday National, Herald on Sunday, 17th September 2023. Nobody wants to admit it, but the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (Scotland) Bill has been gutted. This means the upcoming Human Rights Bill will be a hollowed-out wreck too. The Scottish Government’s inability to introduce proper human rights legislation under the Scotland Act … Continue reading Lighting a small candle? →

The National, 11th September 2023. The Lord Advocate was the last known unknown. We know the Scottish Government want to establish safer drug consumption facilities in Glasgow. We know the local authority and NHS support them. We know there is a majority in Holyrood in favour of such a policy. We also know that the … Continue reading A huge leap forward →