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Phil Paterson

Latest articles from Phil Paterson

'When the pinnacle of your ambition is to break someone else’s, you do not need to compete'

COMMENT At least Unionist parties are honest about their prospects

SINCE Nicola Sturgeon raised it in the leaders’ debates, the observation that Scotland’s Unionist parties have given up on winning today’s election and are openly aspiring to second place has been remarked upon by several political commentators. In some respects, the admission is to be welcomed. If nothing else, it is honest which, arguably, is more than can be said of their positions on some other matters.

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Nicola Sturgeon was found not to have breached the Ministerial Code

comment The alternative to independence is unthinkable, so let’s work as one

TO wish someone a life in “interesting times” is among the most backhanded of blessings. It is often said to be an ancient Chinese curse, but its true origins seem ambiguous. Whatever the background of the expression, it is one to which many Scots, these days, can relate, particularly those of a pro-independence persuasion. For good or ill, we certainly live in interesting times.

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The new year brings with it renewed hope for a better future as an independent, European Scotland

comment Scots will vote in indyref2 with benefit of new clarity

SOMETIMES, out of a crisis comes salvation. The worst of times can bring out the best in people and prompt incredible achievements. It can open our eyes and change our views on the world irreversibly

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The Yes side sees Westminster for what it is and Scotland for what it could be

comment Scottish independence is neither childish nor a fantasy

THERE is an unassuming house in Kirriemuir that many readers will no doubt be familiar with. When you pass it, it is a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it sort of building, but it is one whose place in the history books is sealed, and which people come from all over the world to see.

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Europe is set up to ensure no nation can enforce its will on another

Comment No EU country could behave the way the UK does to Scotland

AS Covid-19 infection rates fall across the European Union and member states move tentatively towards easing lockdown measures, governments and citizens across the bloc are reflecting on the handling of the crisis so far.

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Germany, unlike the UK, appears to have a strategy for easing lockdown that is understood and accepted by governments across the land

comment Why Germany's devolved virus strategy is a lesson in trust to the UK

AS governments across Europe look to start easing Covid-19 lockdown measures, German Chancellor Angela Merkel is one of many leaders urging caution. With Germany having received international praise for its handling of the crisis and its remarkably low death rates thus far, it has inadvertently set itself up as a model of how to end restrictions and inch daily life back towards something resembling normality.

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A mask-clad cyclist passes the Reichstag building in Berlin

Exclusive Lessons from Germany's very different approach to coronavirus

GERMANY’S president Frank-Walter Steinmeier broke with tradition on Saturday to give a rare televised Easter address. Urging Germans to show “solidarity” both domestically and internationally in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic, he stressed that Germany could not emerge from the crisis strong and healthy if its neighbours did not do the same, that the crisis was “not a war” but rather a “test of our humanity”.

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