Michael Russell

IN the early days of the Scottish Parliament, I tabled not one, but two motions about the Elgin Marbles, which are a collection of sculptures removed by the 7th Earl of Elgin from the Acropolis in Athens between 1801 and 1812.

IT was only in 2006 that the Scottish Parliament passed an act making St Andrew’s Day a bank and public holiday even though a similar piece of Westminster legislation for St Patrick’s Day took effect in 1903.

I DON’T often agree with Andy Maciver – the former Conservative staffer who now, among other things, writes a column for The Herald – but he is right to express considerable scepticism about the current feeding frenzy concerning Michael Matheson’s parliamentary iPad.

THE artificial intelligence summit hosted by the Prime Minister and featuring invited participants from across the world (except Scotland, the door to the event being slammed in our face by the UK Government) prompted three reactions in me, aside from the inevitable impression that Rishi Sunak was auditioning for his next job.

EVERY parent will tell you that the most heartbreaking imagined fear haunting the darkest reaches of the night is that of losing a child.

WHETHER the word “colony” can be applied to the state of Scotland is debatable. What isn’t in doubt is that we were once colonialists ourselves.

IN the great scheme of things, and particularly amidst an escalating and frightening war in the Middle East which is causing vast suffering to the innocent on both sides, a little local Twitter spat on a dreich Wednesday night is no big deal.

PARTY conferences are risky affairs at the best of times – and these are not the best of times for the SNP.

IT is not fun losing elections and what I felt in the early hours of yesterday morning was just as unpleasant as it used to be in the 80s, the 90s and the early years of this century – that time before the SNP started to win most electoral contests, usually out the park.

ACCORDING to an old joke, a university is a group of anarchists joined together by a central heating system. I might be tempted, given the events of recent times, to call a political party something similar, except without the warmth.