Ian Johnston

The central lesson that the UK must urgently learn from Donald Trump’s new security strategy The US National Security Strategy suggests the Trump administration plans to support far and hard-right parties in European countries, while leaving it to its own defences

Donald Trump’s new security strategy is an astonishing document with a vital lesson for the UK www.scotsman.com/news/opinion...

Dear all, The Scotsman has a really good Black Friday ('Blue Thursday?') offer of online access for a mere £1 a month. Something to consider if you like Scotland and want to read views from outside your social media 'bubble'. Offer lasts a few days www.scotsman.com/subscriptions

9 reasons why Donald Trump won't win the Nobel Peace Prize (unless committee abandons its values) Donald Trump thinks he should win the Nobel Peace Prize, but he also knows that he won’t

Many previous Nobel Prizes have been given for reasons that are entirely at odds with Trump’s ‘values’, statements and actions www.scotsman.com/news/opinion...

Good Day!
The Cornfield with Stooks by John Nash c. 1918
Oil on Canvas
(Private Collection)

I do worry about what increased wildfires are doing to carbon sinks

Why Jeremy Clarkson's discovery of 'genuinely alarming' effects of climate change is so important TV star and farmer Jeremy Clarkson warns this year’s harvest is expected to be ‘catastrophic’ because of bad weather, adding ‘that should be a worry for anyone who eats food’

Why Jeremy Clarkson's discovery of 'genuinely alarming' effects of climate change is so important www.scotsman.com/news/opinion...

Demise of Norway's hybrid cars shows how UK is falling behind in technological race While Norway is buying a tiny number of new hybrid cars, in the UK they make up about a quarter of the market

Demise of hybrid cars in Norway shows how UK is falling behind in technological race www.scotsman.com/news/opinion...

Why a bland BBC report about migrants should make us fear for our future On the question of immigration, the UK’s ‘Overton Window’ of acceptable views has been shifting in an alarming direction

Why a bland BBC report about migrants should make us fear for our future www.scotsman.com/news/opinion...

A message from Scotland to Donald Trump: It's time to call Netanyahu and end Gaza's nightmare If Donald Trump can stop the carnage in Gaza, he would surely have a good chance of winning the Nobel Peace Prize that he covets

A message from Scotland to Donald Trump: It's time to call Benjamin Netanyahu and end Gaza's nightmare www.scotsman.com/news/opinion...

Why Palestinians in Gaza are protesting with photos of Israeli children killed by Hamas Gaza Youth Committee founder Rami Aman says many people in Gaza do not support Hamas, only want peace and mourn for the Israeli children who have been killed, as well as their own

I found this very moving. Please share:
Why Palestinians in Gaza are protesting with photos of Israeli children killed by Hamas www.scotsman.com/news/opinion...

Why Nigel Farage is the High Druid of our burgeoning Age of Unreason In its stances on climate change, vaccines and immigration, Reform UK demonstrates it should be taken about as seriously as the modern-day druids chanting prayers of protection against Covid

In its stances on climate change, vaccines and immigration, Reform UK demonstrates it should be taken about as seriously as the modern-day druids chanting prayers of protection against Covid www.scotsman.com/news/opinion...

The Scotsman's editorial from VE Day 1945: 'We have earned the right to celebrate' On May 8, 1945, The Scotsman wrote that, while the Second World War had been ‘decisively won’, this did not necessarily mean that ‘an era of universal peace will automatically be ushered in’

The Scotsman's fascinating editorial comment published on VE Day 1945 www.scotsman.com/news/opinion...

Gaza's malnourished children cannot wait. They need food now | Editorial ***

Israeli Haaretz newspaper's editorial is a must-read: "For seven weeks now, the government has employed a policy of starvation by banning the entry into the Strip of all food or other humanitarian aid." www.haaretz.com/opinion/edit...

Why jolly face of Putin's killing machine in UK has even more to laugh about With Vladimir Putin’s lies about Ukraine being repeated by US President Donald Trump, the UK needs to stand up for the truth or risk becoming as morally compromised as the jocular Russian ambassador

www.scotsman.com/news/opinion...

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Here's how I'm bringing Donald Trump's 'proven economic formula' into my life From today, I will be imposing my own tariffs on everyone I trade with, just like my newfound hero Donald J Trump

I'm imposing my own tariffs on Tesco, M&S and all the rest, taking inspiration from my new-found economic guru Donald Trump
www.scotsman.com/news/opinion...

Scottish Opera’s award-winning animated short film Josefine Dailymotion video by The Scotsman

www.dailymotion.com/video/x9fbdq6

Matt cartoons – February 2025

This is brilliant by Telegraph's Matt (riffing on story about George Washington's famous honesty) www.telegraph.co.uk/news/0/matt-...

As Donald Trump's 'dictator' slur signals whose side he's on in Ukraine War, UK must urgently rearm Donald Trump’s outrageous attack on Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky must be condemned by all UK politicians, especially those who have aligned themselves with the US President

UK should heed Danish PM's words about the need to rearm as Russia threat grows. She has told her defence minister to “buy, buy, buy!", adding: “If we can't get the best equipment, buy the next best. There's only one thing that counts now, and that's speed.”
www.scotsman.com/news/opinion...

Why Kemi Badenoch's decision to align Tories with Trump will destroy them Echoing Donald Trump may seem like a good idea now, but does anyone really think his presidency will end well?

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Why Scotland's quango culture is undemocratic and has got to go Scotland’s plethora of quangos is expensive, at a time when public services need all the money they can get, and poses a threat to democracy

Democratic government needs to be as efficient as possible, so it can deliver good frontline services and stave off Trumpish populism
www.scotsman.com/news/opinion...

Seven ways to launch a liberal fightback as Donald Trump reveals perils of populism Liberals on the political right and left need to find a new way of doing politics to defeat populism

One of the comments on this article is: "'liberal fightback', (oxymoron) not gonna happen, you lost, we won, you are done." She might be right...
www.scotsman.com/news/opinion...

Why Trump's Age of Unreason, Anti-science and Denial is coming soon to Scotland Donald Trump appears to believe bizarre conspiracy theorists rather than scientists about climate change and vaccines

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Why the temptation to abandon social media is growing by the day As clubs and friends turn their back on Facebook, the appeal of ‘unplugging’ is clear

www.scotsman.com/news/opinion...

How 1930s-style decline of liberalism puts world on course for war As former Conservative Cabinet minister Rory Stewart has rightly said, history shows that when politicians abandon liberalism, the collapse of democracy and wars are likely to follow

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Why return of Donald Trump to White House means UK must rejoin European Union As Donald Trump rattles his sabre about trade, tariffs and territorial expansion, it’s clear the UK urgently needs to improve access to Europe’s single market

www.scotsman.com/news/opinion...

Liz Truss legal threat to Starmer over claim she crashed economy No 10 insists millions of people share Sir Keir's view of the Truss government's economic record.

Last year, Liz Truss said: "We can’t be truly free without free speech.” Now her lawyers claim it's illegal to say she "crashed the economy". Lol.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Trump, Speaking at Mar-a-Lago, Hints at Territorial Expansion: Live Updates

President-elect Trump refused to rule out using military force to retake the Panama Canal and Greenland, said he was willing to use “economic force” to acquire Canada and refused to say whether he would pardon Jan. 6 rioters, criticizing the FBI instead during his news conference on Tuesday.

Norway's stunning progress on electric cars puts UK to shame While the UK has dramatically reduced the amount of carbon produced by electricity generation, we are still largely wedded to petrol-powered cars

www.scotsman.com/news/opinion...

Obsessing about mental health is making Scotland's crisis worse. Here's what to do instead Telling people to 'buck up' won't work, but neither will treating ourselves as delicate flowers. Sport holds the answer

www.scotsman.com/news/opinion...