This week marks the third anniversary of Vladimir Putin’s brutal and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. The quick victory expected by Putin was denied by stoic Ukrainian resistance, but the subsequent three years have seen casualties on both sides climb.
I’m delighted to confirm that 18 years after first being elected as Orkney’s MSP, I’ve finally delivered my ‘maiden’ speech in the cattle ring at The Mart. There are many more iconic debating chambers, but few as intimidating.
Last Thursday, as the last rites were read over the Scottish Government’s flagship, National Care Service, few tears were shed. This hapless attempt by the SNP to centralise care services proved singularly unpopular.
I hope 2025 has started well for you and continues in a similar vein. In political terms, it’s set to be another busy year at Holyrood, where attention will increasingly turn to the forthcoming Scottish Parliament election due in May 2026.
A measure of an event’s significance is often determined by the extent to which we recall where we were on hearing the news. So it was that when I learned of the momentous House of Commons vote.
“Never pick a fight with a profession that appears in a children’s book”. Such was the advice famously issued by The Economist some years back. In truth, most administrations have honoured it more in the breach.