Recently, on the eve of the UN’s Day in Support of Victims of Torture, I was in Glasgow to deliver a speech covering current issues on human rights to members Amnesty International and to launch their Stop Torture campaign. It …
Today marks 15 years since the official opening of the Scottish Parliament. A lot has been learned in that time and a great deal has been achieved. Around 60 per cent of Scotland’s public spending is now devolved to the …
On the way to Edinburgh Airport on Monday I passed Ingliston Showground and could see tents being dismantled and trucks convoying towards the motorway. It was the aftermath of another successful Royal Highland Show. Almost 180,000 people passed through the …
Many milestones have already been marked on the road to the independence referendum as our nation prepares to make a significant choice - almost certainly the most significant decision many of us will make in a lifetime. As we reach …
For most of us, it’s impossible to imagine what it must have felt like to be in the trenches in World War One or to see colleagues killed or maimed in combat. This week I had the privilege of meeting …
Last week I spent a couple of days in Denmark on government business. It is a fascinating country which has recently had a prominent profile in Scotland, not least because of successful Danish TV series such as Borgen and The …
Few people throughout the UK can fail to have been touched by the devastating scenes we saw in Glasgow this week, in the aftermath of the police helicopter crash. I visited Glasgow on Monday where I met the team of Fire, Police, …
