The US-Israeli strikes against Iran are part of a decades-long war against the Islamic Republic which has refused to bow to US demands that it surrender its sovereignty, argues VIJAY PRASHAD
THIS year will be remembered in Scotland for Covid-19. In better circumstances it might have offered an opportunity for a full and searching national reflection on the 21st birthday of the Scottish Parliament and the question of where next for Scotland. This is what we need.
Our Parliament’s early days led to free bus travel for over-sixties, the ending of up-front fees for university, protections for further education, “free” personal care for the elderly, the ending of council house sales, feu (land tenure) duties and warrant sales.
In both composition and legislative programmes, the Scottish Parliament is not unlike Westminster, albeit without the boorish boys’ club vibe.
On the release of her memoir that reveals everything except politics, Sturgeon’s endless media coverage has focused on her panic attacks, sexuality and personal tragedies while ignoring her government’s many failures, writes PAULINE BRYAN
Ahead of next year’s parliamentary elections, ROZ FOYER warns that a bold tax policy is needed to rebuild devastated public services which can serve as the foundation of a strong, fair economy
As bus builder Alexander Dennis threatens Falkirk closure and Grangemouth faces ruthless shutdown by tax exile Jim Ratcliffe, RICHARD LEONARD MSP warns that global corporations must be resisted by a bold industrial strategy based on public ownership
That Scotland was an active participant and beneficiary of colonialism and slavery is not a question of blame games and guilt peddling, but a crucial fact assessing the class nature of the questions of devolution and independence, writes VINCE MILLS



